Kelly Gallagher insisted she has her guide Charlotte Evans to thank for pulling her from the depths of despair to super-G success and Britain’s first Winter Paralympic gold medal.
Finishing last in her opening downhill event at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre on Saturday had Gallagher doubting all that she and Evans had achieved in their four years ski-ing together.
But words of wisdom from her 22-year-old guide, who put her university studies on hold to be in Sochi, helped Gallagher to refocus and record 1:28.72 that the rest of the field couldn’t beat.
In the same visually impaired super-G race, fellow Brits Jade Etherington and guide Caroline Powell claimed bronze, having usurped Gallagher and Evans by winning silver in the downhill on Saturday.
After Gallagher’s opening day display threatened to undo four years of hard work by reducing confidence, she revealed it was the encouragement of Evans that paved the way for super-G success.
She said: “We came last so we really had to work to pick ourselves up. We wouldn’t have got here if it wasn’t for Charlotte. When I haven’t believed in myself, she has believed in us and believed in herself.”
Meanwhile, Aileen Neilson’s wheelchair curling rink faced a tricky tie with Slovakia. But despite going 2-0 down in the first end, the Britons won 12-2 for their third win of the round-robin stage. Neilson said: “Our focus from the start of the competition was to get through the round-robin and make the play-offs – just one game at a time.”
Sainsbury’s is a proud long-term supporter of the British Paralympic Association and a champion of inclusive sport for all. For more information on Sainsbury’s commitment to inclusive sport visit: www.Sainsburys.co.uk/ activekids.