British Skier Wins Team GB's First Gold Medal At Beijing Paralympics

Neil Simpson has taken home the first gold medal for Team GB at the Super-G vision impaired skiing event at the 2022 Winter Paralympics.

The 19-year-old athlete took home the gold with the help of his brother and guide, Andrew Simpson.

With a time of 1:08.91, the pair finished almost half a second clear of the rest of the competitors.

Neil is the first British male athlete to win gold on the snow and was happy with his performance, explaining after that it hadn't sunk in yet.

He said: 'I wasn't thinking about it being a winning performance, I was just thinking that it was a good run. We put it all down on the line and really went for it and I'm just very happy with the performance - it felt good'.

Neil went on to explain that there was a 'sketchy moment' when he was coming into the bowl but that he and his brother 'really went for it' and was thrilled they did.

'I could tell it was quick but I didn't know how special it was. I'm just really thrilled, it's not really sunk in yet', he added.

Meanwhile, Andrew said of the run, as per Sky Sports: 'The race went as planned, at the race inspection we were like, this needs to be attacked from the get-go, and we went and did exactly that'.

The Simpson brothers are making their Paralympic debut this year and finished seventh in Saturday's opening downhill event.

The pair, from Banchory, Scotland, have been skiing together since they were young , as per the BBC.

'Growing up together, it just makes this moment really special', Neil explained, adding that having Andrew with him really helps, as the pair 'don't have to beat around the bush' with each other.

The gold marks the second medal of the day for Team GB, with Menna Fitzpatrick winning silver in the women's race, along with her guide Gary Smith.

The win marked the fifth Paralympic medal of Fitzpatrick's sporting career, making her Team GB's most successful Winter Paralympian ever.

Fitzpatrick suffered a broken leg in March 2020, while her initial guide Katie Guest was ruled out of the Games for a positive Covid test.

Despite the set backs, Fitzpatrick performed incredibly well, saying: 'To be here at all is a great achievement, but then to stand up on that podium is absolutely amazing'.

'I'm so proud of what we've achieved together.'

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