British Paralympic bosses believe battling through the unpredictable challenges of the Beijing Winter Games has laid the foundations for a re-energised assault at a record medal haul on ‘home snow’ in 2026.
The British team racked up six medals in the Chinese capital including one gold, one silver and four bronzes.
That tally fell narrowly short of the record-breaking haul of seven scored at PyeongChang 2018 as alpine skiers Menna Fitzpatrick and Millie Knight failed to hit the heights of four years ago.
Katherine Grainger, UK Sport Chair, admits navigating the circumstances has been tricky but the wheels are in motion for even greater success on European soil at Milan-Cortina 2026.
The five-time Olympic medallist, 46, said: “These were Games, very much like Tokyo, that were always going to feel different.
“They have felt very unpredictable – athletes have had very little competition compared to normal years.
“I think there’s been feelings of uncertainty about where they’ve been performing in term of standard, considering the challenges and presence of Covid building up to the Games, but it’s been a success all round.
“We’re still a young force in Winter sport – there’s an enormous amount to look forward to and Milan is really exciting.
“The home snow will make a difference – we can engage the public in a similar time zone and there will be a lot more familiar about it.
“The next Games being closer to home will be an incentive for lots of athletes.
“It’s feeling good looking forward – we want to see where our potential is and how soon we can reach it.”
The Simpson brothers, visually impaired skier Neil and guide Andrew, grabbed the team’s only gold of the Games as they became the first British men to climb to the top of the podium on snow at either an Olympics or Paralympics.
Fellow alpine skier Menna Fitzpatrick, 23, won her fifth and sixth Paralympic medals – silver and bronze – to become the most decorated British Winter Paralympian of all-time while Millie Knight, 23, banked bronze for her fourth Paralympic gong.
The Simpsons followed up their gold with bronze 24 hours later while on the penultimate day in Beijing, Ollie Hill became the first British snowboarder to win a Paralympic medal as he claimed bronze with a brilliant run in the banked slalom.
Britain’s wheelchair curlers were dumped out early after a torrid few days at the Ice Cube while elsewhere, Scott Meenagh secured a career-best finish in the Nordic skiing as he crossed the line sixth in Saturday’s cross-country event.
Phil Smith, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission for the Games, said: “It’s been a brilliant week and we’re delighted with the performance we’ve put in.
“There’s no comparison this week throughout the team that we’ve somehow underachieved [compared to PyeongChang]."
Smith, whose team constitute several of over 1,000 athletes able to train full-time, access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support thanks to vital National Lottery funding, added: “We’ve had 13 top five finishes across the team - the most we’ve ever had from a Winter perspective.
“I think that shows the strength in depth in the team and that bodes really well for the future.”
No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes including grassroots and elite sport. Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtag: #TNLAthletes
