Magnificent Menna Fitzpatrick and Neil Simpson add to ParalympicsGB medal haul

Menna Fitzpatrick and Neil Simpson added another medal to their rapidly expanding collection both winning bronze medals at the Super Combined Visually Impaired at the Yanqing National Alpine Centre.

ParalympicsGB have now won five medals at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games after just three days of competition.

23-year-old Menna, who has now won six medals for ParalympicsGB across two Games, was skiing with guide Gary Smith and they managed the quickest factored time in the slalom event to move into the medal positions folllowing a solid Super G run earlier. The combined time of 2:05.98 was just behind China’s Zhu Daqing and Slovakian great Henrieta Farkasova.

Fitzpatrick from Macclesfield, said: “Every medal is special in its own right, I absolutely love being a Paralympian and being able to ski and show people anybody can do it - if I inspire just one person then I feel my job is done.

“We left ourselves a bit of work to do in slalom and the plan paid off, of going out there and putting down a pretty decent run, so we are super, super happy.

“The confidence is really, really high - it was quite a tricky slalom set actually with tight turns and lots of combinations. It was tough but really good fun to smash it in the slalom.

Gary Smith, from Luton, said “I love slalom it’s hard for the guide but it is great fun and what a hill to ski down - this is ten days I will not forget that’s for sure.”

Millie Knight and guide Brett Wild, who won a bronze medal on the opening day of competition, narrowly missed out on a medal finishing in fourth place with a time of 2:07.89.

Fresh from their gold medal success in the Super G yesterday, brothers Neil and Andrew Simpson from Banchory Scotland, followed the same approach as Menna, lying outside the medal positions after a mistake in the Super G they moved up the standings with a slick Slalom run for a combined time of 1:52.81 with Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli claiming gold.

A delighted Neil Simpson said: “I think with the mistake in the first run coming into the slalom we knew we had to charge, and we had nothing to lose going in to the second run.

“I skied a lot of slalom when I was younger as you have no choice growing up in Scotland and it’s something I really enjoy. I was so tired after the gold medal yesterday I just had some food and went to bed so we were in the right mindset today.”

Andrew Simpson said “ We are still really, really happy with the Super G, we just had one mistake. We knew we were still close with the time and we got fired up and attacked the slalom.”

Shona Brownlee did not finish the slalom course of the Women’s Sitting Super Combined and James Whitley was disqualified in the Super G discipline in the Men’s Standing Super Combined.

ParalympicsGB’s Wheelchair Curlers stormed to an emphatic 15-1 victory over Switzerland in their opening match on Day 3. Skip Hugh Nibloe and his team raced in to a 10-0 lead after just three ends and cruised to a comfortable victory following a rest day yesterday.