Italy hosts first Down’s Syndrome ‘Olympics’

The roar from the stands in Florence could not have been louder if it had been stars Usain Bolt or Shelly-Ann FraserPryce on the track. It was the first world competition for athletes with Down’s Syndrome, and Nicole Orlando and Nicolas Virapin made it to the victory podium in the Tuscan city. Orlando, a runner from Italy who has become the face of the ‘Trisome Games’, scooped up the silver for a 400-metres relay, sending her flag-waving delegation leaping into each others arms with joy as the national anthem rang out.