Winter Paralympics 2022: 'I want to show that I can still adapt and perform'

Para-skier Menna Fitzpatrick became Britain's most successful Winter Paralympian, along with guide Jen Kehoe, when they won gold, two silvers and a bronze in Pyeongchang at the 2018 Games. Along with guide Gary Smith, a late replacement for Katie Guest, she will bid for more success at the 2022 Games in Beijing, which start on 4 March. This is her third BBC Sport column.

It's great to be in Beijing for my second Paralympics and I'm ready for what lies ahead when the action starts on Saturday.

But the build-up hasn't been smooth, with my regular guide Katie Guest testing positive for Covid and having to pull out of the Games.

I'm gutted for Katie because I know how much she was looking forward to her first Paralympics. I just wanted to share it with her because I know how epic my experience was in Pyeongchang four years ago when I made my debut.

I really feel for her back home, sitting around watching something that she could have been a part of, but I've got to focus on what I'm doing and get ready to perform as best I can. Sometimes you've just got to be a little bit selfish.

I'll now be guided by Gary Smith, whom I have trained a lot with - and raced with during the 2019-20 season.

With visually impaired skiing, guides can get injured or ill, so you have to prepare for anything and Gary was ready to take up the role when we knew Katie wasn't going to be able to compete.

Fitzpatrick and Smith have competed together at World Cup level previously

He guided Kelly Gallagher in Pyeongchang and has a lot of experience. When we worked together previously, we got to know each other and we each saw how the other reacts in pressurised situations, which helps us now.

Each guide does things a bit differently. I like to be quite calm and chilled in the start gate, especially before the downhill and the speed events. If I get too excited, I get a little bit more nervous, so try to keep really chilled and relaxed, and it makes it easy that Gary is very calm.

Every day, we are building up our relationship and getting used to the snow and the way the course is set, fine-tuning our mistakes and finding out where we can gain time on the course and work on speed tactics.

The Games organisers have done a great job of creating a really interesting hill to ski on. The snow is really good - nice and firm.

The temperature has warmed up quite a bit from the -30C we saw at the Olympics, but the wind still makes it chilly, and the strength of the wind has been a big challenge for all of the skiers on our training days.

The main thing is to just be patient but the organisers will also want to keep the snow as hard as possible throughout the competition and stop it from melting.

Off the snow, Gary and I have also been spending time together. A virtual reality room has been set up in the village by Beijing 2022 for the athletes, so we have been playing Call of Duty against each other with the VR goggles.

Gary definitely did better than I did on that one.

But the mood within the team is really good - there are always people around who are up for doing things like going for a walk or visiting the gift shop.

Over the first couple of days, they didn't have any of the toys of the Paralympic mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon but we went in yesterday and they were back in stock so I will definitely bring one home.

The National Alpine Skiing Centre will be a busy venue during the Paralympics

The first of my five events will be the downhill and although it isn't one of my favourite events, it is good preparation for the super-G on Sunday - and for the super-G in the super combined, later in the programme.

Out here, I just want to show that no matter how hard the past two years have been with my broken leg and the pandemic, and especially over these past few weeks with the change of guide, that you can adapt and still go out and perform.

You can go and do something that you might be nervous about and almost scared of doing, but deep down, you know you can do it. You've just got to trust yourself.

In terms of medals, I'd be really happy if we skied well. Given what I've gone through, I just want to go out there, have fun and do as well as we can.

And as long as I cross that line happy and with a smile on my face, I've definitely done everything I wanted.

Menna Fitzpatrick was speaking to BBC Sport's Elizabeth Hudson.