Positivity in Progress

Team GB at the Winter Paralympics: Summary

The Winter Paralympics are at a close, but if you missed any of the action relating to Team GB, then here I am to catch you up.

Millie Knight: Ups and Downhills

Visually-impaired skier Millie Knight, accompanied by her guide Brett Wild, skied her way to silver in her very first race, the women’s downhill. She repeated her triumph in the next race, the women’s super-G, just days later.

Silver surfer? No, no, Millie’s the silver skier. Source: Team GB.

She began to lose her grip on the podium, however, coming fourth in the super combined, and seventh in the giant slalom. In her final skiing event - the slalom - she fought her way back to bronze, leaving with three medals in total!

Meena Fitzpatrick: Golden Girl

After an unfortunate start which saw the also visually-impaired Meena crash out in the downhill on day one, she and her guide Jen Kehoe didn’t give up, and managed to snag a bronze the very next day in the women’s super-G.

This is how I’d feel if I won a gold medal, too. Source: Team GB.

However, things only got better from there. Meena went on to get silver in the women’s super-combined and giant slalom, but finished with an incredible gold in the slalom, finally beating the unstoppable Henrietta Farkasova!

Kelly Gallagher: Close But No Cigar

Kelly Gallagher won Team GB’s very first Winter Paralympic gold in Sochi four years ago, so expectations were high. Unfortunately though, she didn’t manage to make the podium over the course of the PyeongChang games.

When Gallagher won our first ever gold in Sochi 2014. Source: Team GB.

Her highest finish was fifth in the giant slalom, which is still an excellent result, considering the strength of the competition present this year! That includes her fellow GB skiers, who have followed in her footsteps to Paralympic glory.

Scott Meenagh: A Different Kind of Paralympic Record

Though he didn’t win any medals, Scott Meenagh is a bloody hero. He competed in six para-Nordic skiing events over the course of the competition, covering a total distance of about 58.6 kilometres. IN EIGHT DAYS!

Understandably, after skiing cross-country, he’s a bit tired. Source: Team GB.

And, let’s not forget this was his first ever Paralympics - he only started para-Nordic skiing four years ago! His highest finish was 13th in the 12.5km biathlon, and he’s got his sights set on the 2022 games already, the absolute madman. 

Wheelchair Curling: Come On Aileen

With only 5 wins on the board, GB had to win their penultimate match against South Korea to progress to the medal matches, or Norway had to lose their match against Slovakia. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

They don’t get cooler than GB skip Aileen Neilson. Source: Team GB.

Despite having won medals in the past and a great performance overall, GB lost 5-4 to South Korea, leaving them at the mercy of the Norwegian rink. Sadly, Norway’s tense defeat of Slovakia meant the end of Team GB’s competition.

Snowboarding and Skiing: Paralympians with Potential

Though the women did incredibly in the skiing, James Whitley and Chris Lloyd unfortunately did not manage to get on the podium. Still, they possess incredible skill, and will hopefully come back for the next Paralympics!

Ben Moore can soar high above the cold floor. Source: Team GB.

Team GB sent snowboarders this year, too. It’s the first time we’ve ever done so, so medals were unlikely, but Owen Pick, Ben Moore, and James Barnes-Miller put down some excellent efforts regardless. Here’s hoping they return too!

Winter Paralympics: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

This was Paralympics GB’s best ever games, with 7 medals in total! The investment into Paralympic winter sport is clearly paying off, and so the future looks bright for Team GB in Beijing 2022.

We won all of these in women’s para-skiing alone. Wow. Source: Team GB.

It looks like the majority of the current Paralympians will be returning to repeat or better their successes at these games, and we even hope to qualify for more events next time. Catch us in the 2022 sliding centre - I mean, if you can.

Team GB at the Winter Paralympics: What to Look Out For

At the time of writing, Paralympics GB already have one medal. But we want more. Fancy helping to cheer us on? Here’s a guide on who to look out for.

Where should I watch?

But first, you need to know where you can watch the Paralympics. If you’re in the UK, then Channel 4 is your best friend. They have live events, as well as catch-up every night (from 6pm Saturday/Sunday, then 7:30pm on weekdays), and the brilliant Last Leg will be doing Paralympic specials. 

If you’re not in the UK, then search online for who your Paralympic broadcaster is. If there isn’t a TV channel covering the games where you are, then never fear! The official Paralympics website has its own livestreams and highlights, so you can watch there: click here to be wooshed to their site.

What should I watch?

Everything, preferably. But since this is a post about the GB athletes, then here’s who you should be looking out for:

Para-Skiing:

Representing the women, we have visually-impaired skiers Millie Knight (and her guide Brett Wild) and Menna Fitzpatrick (and her guide Jen Kehoe), who have already competed in the downhill. For the rest of the women’s para-skiing events, they’ll be joined by Kelly Gallagher and her guide Gary Smith. Those events are the:

Super-G (11th), super combined (13th), slalom (15th), and giant slalom (18th)

For the men’s events, we have fab skiers James Whitley and Chris Lloyd. Besides the downhill, which has already occurred, they will be racing in the:

Super-G (11th), super combined (13th), slalom (14th), and giant slalom (17th)

Para-Snowboard:

We’ve sent three snowboarders this year, and they are Owen Pick, Ben Moore, and James Barnes-Miller. Catch them shooting down your screen in the:

Snowboard cross (12th) and banked slalom (16th)

Biathlon/Cross-country Skiing:

Busy man Scott Meenagh will be taking part in a variety of long-distance events across the games. These include:

Men’s 15km sitting (11th), men’s 12.5km seated (13th), sprint classic (14th), men’s 15km seated (16th), and men’s 7.5km classic seated (17th)

Wheelchair Curling:

Team GB’s rink are already an accomplished bunch, but they’re looking to go even further, with one win already under their belt at these games. Catch them in curling matches every day, and then the medal matches next Saturday. Yes, I’m that confident.

Why should I watch?

Team GB at the Winter Olympics: 18th-25th

Sad now the Winter Olympics are over? Never fear, Minty is here. I’ll be recapping the second week of the games in relation to Team GB right now.

If you haven’t seen my previous post about the 9th-17th, click here.

Short Track Speed-Skating: Determination in Defeat

If you did see it, you’ll have heard the tale of Elise Christie, the short track speed-skate World Champion, who crashed out of the 500m and the 1,500m races. The second crash even left her with ligament damage, yet Elise still showed up for the next race (the 1,000m heat) just three days after the injury.

Petition to form a defensive bubble around Elise Christie. Source: Team GB.

Though she was knocked down as the race began, and was clearly in severe pain, Elise got back on the start line for the race restart. Despite her injury, she managed to place second! However, she was given a penalty shortly afterward (likely because she was deemed unfit to race), and thus her Olympics ended. Determined as she is, though, she has vowed to return in Bejing 2022.

Curling: A Turn for the Worse

Things were looking up in the curling! After the ups and downs of the first week of the games, both the GB men’s and women’s teams managed to bag a few victories and place themselves high on the competition table. However, fortunes were quick to turn again.

Ever pretended to be a curler while sweeping your house? Source: Team GB.

The men were in a tiebreaker with Switzerland to determine who would go to the semi-finals, and lost 5-9. The women automatically qualified for the semi-finals, but lost their chance for a gold against Sweden (5-10), and then lost the bronze to Japan (3-5). It’s a shame, but there’s no doubt they’ll improve for 2022.

Big Air: Big Bronze

GB was hopeful for at least one finalist in the new Big Air event at PyeongChang. In heat 1, Rowan Coultas almost made it - but missed out on qualifying by just half a point! In heat 2, though, Billy Morgan managed to only just make the final by finishing in sixth.

Billy started out as an acrobat...it probably helps. Source: Team GB.

Billy didn’t stay in sixth, though. His incredible runs gave him a final score of 168.00, fifteen points ahead of fourth place, and just 0.75 behind second. As you might’ve figured out by now, that means he took the bronze for Britain!

Closing Ceremony: Chin Up

After his performance brought GB to five medals overall - the most we’ve ever got at a Winter Olympics - Billy Morgan was chosen to bear the flag at the Closing Ceremony. He had an interesting technique for carrying it, though...

Did I mention Billy Morgan used to be an acrobat? Source: Team GB.

Team GB finished 19th on the medal table, and though that may not sound impressive, it’s actually a really great result for us, and we’re proud of all our athletes for doing their best despite winter sports not having as much funding or as many facilities as it needs to thrive in the UK.

Paralympic Games: Are You Ready?

Team GB at the Winter Olympics: 9th-17th [UPDATED]

I love the Olympics, and if you do too, then stay tuned: I’m going to be providing updates on Team GB, telling you what’s happened and what to look out for.

Snowboarding: Out Before the Olympics

In the slopestyle and big air, Great Britain was hoping for a medal, courtesy of Katie Ormerod. But before the competition even began, she fractured her wrist in training. However, being a tough Yorkshire lass, Katie decided she’d continue with the competition regardless - she was prepared to snowboard while wearing a bloody splint!

Not the Olympic experience one might hope for. Source: Katie’s Twitter.

Unfortunately, seeing it didn’t get her the first time, the universe decided to have another crack at Katie: in her next training session, she fell badly and broke her heel. Needless to say, she wasn’t able to compete, but we’re hopeful she can recover well and will have her time to shine at the next Olympics!

Opening Ceremony: Skeleton Flagbearer 

After winning gold for women’s skeleton in Sochi, Lizzy Yarnold carried the flag at the Closing Ceremony. With hopes of her winning gold again at PyeongChang, she was the obvious choice to bear the flag at the Opening Ceremony.

Now that’s what I call having your eyes on the prize. Source: Team GB.

After her first two runs on Friday, she ended up in 3rd position, but only by a tenth of a second. The speedy slider had no trouble closing the gap on Saturday, though, breaking the track record on her last run and securing the gold.

Short-Track Speed Skating: Making Up for Sochi

Elise Christie, the Sonic of short-track, was disqualified in all three of the Sochi speed skates. But she’s no quitter, and has won medal after medal in the World Championships over the past few years, eventually securing the title of World Champion at last year’s event.

Elise, on her way to get the gold she deserves. Source: Team GB.

At PyeongChang, she made it to the final of the 500m and the semi-final of the 1,500m, but crashed out in both. Despite the intensity of her second crash, she’s suffered no breakages and may still compete in her favourite event, the 1,000m.

Curling: Winning and Losing

It’s been ups and downs in the curling for Team GB. The women’s team, Sochi bronze medallists, won 10-3 against the Olympic Athletes of Russia in their first match. They lost match two to the US team (4-7), but won against China (8-7) in match three, and then had another win against Denmark (7-6).

The women’s team are good at curling and intimidation. Source: Team GB.

Meanwhile, the men won against Switzerland (6-5) and Japan (6-5) in their first and third matches respectively. However, they’ve had two losses, too: Canada (4-6) in match two, and Sweden (6-8) in their fourth match. Both teams have since lost by wide margins to South Korea (men 5-11, women 4-7), but that’s to be expected when playing against the home team.

Skeleton: Britain’s First Medal

Despite all the bad luck our athletes have been having, there has been cause for celebration: on Friday, we got our first medal! After a tense run, Dom Parsons achieved bronze in the men’s skeleton, his best performance ever.

Dom Parsons slides to victory. Source: Team GB.

Another GB skeleton athlete, Jerry Rice, took tenth place. Not surprising, since the word ‘ice’ is in his surname. However, little did we know (well, we kind of knew) that Saturday was to bring even better results.

Skeleton and Skiing: Super Saturday

With Team GB having medal hopes in three events on Saturday the 17th, it seemed like we had at least one in the bag. Things kicked off with Izzy Atkin in the slopestyle skiing where she soared, taking the bronze.

Izzy brings Britain a brilliant bronze. Source: Team GB.

Elise Christie crashed out in the short-track, but things soon got better for Team GB. At the women’s skeleton, Laura Deas took the bronze, and Lizzy Yarnold took the gold. This is Laura’s first Olympics, while Lizzy has become the only British female ever to defend her title at a Winter Olympic games!

What to Look Out For

Elise Christie in the short-track 1,000m on Tuesday the 20th (hopefully)

Aimee Fuller in the snowboarding big air qualifiers on Monday the 19th

Team GB in the women and men’s curling matches over the next week