Britain secured its inaugural medal of the Winter Paralympics on Tuesday when Neil Simpson out‑performed a strong field to take silver in the men’s visually‑impaired alpine combined.
He placed second behind home favourite Giacomo Bertagnolli and ahead of Austria’s Johannes Aigner, a double‑gold medallist at these Games. Simpson delivered the performance the British squad had been seeking, posting the fastest time in the concluding slalom run and climbing from fourth to the podium.
Pressure had been mounting within ParalympicsGB after the opening three days saw British competitors fall short repeatedly, including Simpson, who finished fourth in the downhill on Monday despite having won gold in Beijing four years earlier. Earlier on Tuesday, further disappointment arrived when Menna Fitzpatrick placed last in the women’s VI combined. Yet Britain’s presence on the medal table, courtesy of the 23‑year‑old Simpson, should boost confidence for the rest of the week.
“It was simply solid, technically sound skiing,” Simpson said after the race, speaking with his guide Rob Poth. “That was the objective and I think we executed it well. The visually‑impaired class is very competitive, with many fast athletes. So we’re extremely pleased to be on the podium.”
Simpson noted he felt no pressure during the slalom, after being more than a second off the pace in the opening super‑G and half a second behind Aigner. “We had a clear plan, which helps manage pressure,” he explained. “Our focus was entirely on following that plan, so we were completely in the zone.”
A strong second run now provides the duo with extra drive for their two remaining slalom events. “Each run builds our confidence, and this one raised it another level,” Poth added. “We’re edging closer to the top step, riding a high and hoping to keep this trajectory.”
Despite the tight timetable, Poth said there will be a chance to celebrate, though the strain of back‑to‑back competition is evident. “I’m exhausted after the past few days and I know Neil is too; it’s been intense,” he said. “We have a day off tomorrow, so we’ll relax and have a modest celebration in the village, then return to training the next day to prepare for the final two races.”
A lively crowd at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre enjoyed compelling battles across six classifications in the alpine combined. Veronika Aigner, sister of Johannes, claimed her second Games title in the women’s VI, finishing 3.06 seconds ahead of Italy’s Chiara Mazzel. In the women’s standing event, Sweden’s Ebba Årsjö took gold, while France’s Aurélie Richard earned silver behind Varvara Voronchikhina in the super‑G on Monday; the Russian competitor did not finish.
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