Winter Paralympics: How did the Great Britain team fare in Beijing?
- Published
Winter Paralympics |
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Hosts: Beijing, China Dates: 4-13 March |
Great Britain have ended the Beijing Winter Paralympics with six medals - a gold, a silver and three bronzes from the alpine skiers and a snowboarding bronze.
It was was one short of the haul from Pyeongchang four years and came from the biggest GB team at a Winter Paralympics since 1994 in Lillehammer.
However, it did see them reach the UK Sport medal range of five to nine and they also secured some top-six finishes to strengthen their reputation.
Check out the information below to see how each member of the 24-strong British team fared in China.
Alpine skiing
Britain's most successful winter sport continued its run of success with all five medals coming from the visually impaired skiers. Brothers Neil and Andrew Simpson won the first Paralympic or Olympic gold on snow for GB men with success in the super-G and also claimed a super-combined bronze. Menna Fitzpatrick added to her gold, two silvers and a bronze from Pyeongchang with another silver and bronze - this time with guide Gary Smith. And after two silvers and a bronze four years ago, Millie Knight and Brett Wild added another bronze in the downhill.
2022 squad | Event | 2022 Winter Paralympics results |
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Shona Brownlee | Women's Seated | 6th (super-G) 9th (giant slalom and slalom) DNF (super combined) |
Menna Fitzpatrick | Women's Visually Impaired | Silver (super-G) bronze (super combined) 4th (slalom) 5th (downhill) 7th (giant slalom) |
Gary Smith | Guide to Menna Fitzpatrick | Silver (super-G), bronze (super combined) 4th (slalom) 5th (downhill) 7th (giant slalom) |
Millie Knight | Women's Visually Impaired | Bronze (downhill) 4th (super-G and super combined) 8th (slalom) 9th (giant slalom) |
Brett Wild | Guide to Millie Knight | Bronze (downhill) 4th (super-G and super combined) 8th (slalom) 9th (giant slalom) |
Dan Sheen | Men's Seated | DNF (giant slalom and slalom) |
Neil Simpson | Men's Visually Impaired | Gold (super-G) bronze (super combined) 5th (giant slalom) 7th (downhill) 9th (slalom) |
Andrew Simpson | Guide to Neil Simpson | Gold (super-G) bronze (super combined) 5th (giant slalom) 7th (downhill) 9th (slalom) |
Alex Slegg | Men's Seated | 26th (giant slalom) DSQ (slalom) |
James Whitley | Men's Standing | 6th (giant slalom) 8th (slalom) 9th (downhill) 19th (super-G) DSQ (super combined) |
Para-ice hockey
Para-ice hockey has been part of the Games programme since 1994 in Lillehammer, but Great Britain have never won a medal and last competed in the sport at the 2006 Games in Turin, finishing seventh. That team included Richard Whitehead who went on to win Paralympic gold in athletics at 2012 and 2016.
No GB team in Beijing
Nordic skiing
Including both cross-country skiing and biathlon, it has been part of the Paralympic programme since the first Games. GB have two bronze medals through seven-time Paralympian Peter Young in the 10k B1 event in 1984 and then 10 years later in the 5km classical technique. Scott Meenagh, in his second Games, had GB's best finish in Beijing with sixth in the biathlon individual event.
2022 squad | Event | 2022 Winter Paralympics results |
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Steve Arnold | Men's Seated Cross-Country and Biathlon | 29th (cross-country middle distance) 12th (open 4x2.5km relay) |
Callum Deboys | Men's Seated Cross-Country and Biathlon | 17th (biathlon sprint) 18th (biathlon middle distance and individual) 12th (open 4x2.5km relay) |
Hope Gordon | Women's Seated Cross-Country | 16th (cross-country middle distance) 17th (cross-country sprint) |
Scott Meenagh | Men's Seated Cross-Country and Biathlon | 6th (biathlon individual) 9th (biathlon sprint and middle distance) 12th (cross-country long distance and open 4x2.5km relay) 16th (cross-country middle distance) |
Steve Thomas | Men's Seated Cross-Country | 25th (cross-country sprint) 32nd (cross-country middle distance) 12th (open 4x2.5km relay) |
Para-snowboarding
Made its debut in Sochi in 2014 with men's and women's snowboard cross events while banked slalom events were introduced four years later. Ollie Hill won GB's first medal with bronze in the banked slalom in Beijing.
2022 squad | Event | 2022 Winter Paralympics results |
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James Barnes-Miller | SB-UL | 5th (snowboard cross) 9th (banked slalom) |
Ollie Hill | SB-LL2 | Bronze (banked slalom), 10th (snowboard cross) |
Andy Macleod | SB-LL2 | 17th (snowboard cross) 20th (banked slalom) |
Owen Pick | SB-LL2 | 4th (banked slalom) 9th (snowboard cross) |
Wheelchair curling
Wheelchair curling made its first Paralympic appearance in 2006 when GB won silver, losing in the final to Canada. There was also a dramatic bronze in Sochi in 2014. But they missed out on the play-offs in Beijing for the second Games in a row, finishing eighth, one place lower than in Pyeongchang.
2022 squad | Event | 2022 Winter Paralympic result |
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Hugh Nibloe | Mixed team | 8th |
Gregor Ewan | Mixed team | 8th |
David Melrose | Mixed team | 8th |
Meggan Dawson-Farrell | Mixed team | 8th |
Gary Smith | Mixed team (alternate) | 8th |