Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
Fred Warburton vividly recalls the day he took part in his first official ski race: 22 February 2025. Just a little over a year later, he achieved the remarkable milestone of becoming a Paralympian, competing for the first time at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games. Initially, Warburton’s connection to skiing was casual, largely as a tourist. However, his motivation to impress his Italian father-in-law sparked a more serious commitment to the sport.
Now 31, Warburton, who was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa around seven years ago, recently completed a seventh-place finish in the downhill event. Partnered with his guide James Hannan, he navigated the demanding Olympia delle Tofane course during Saturday’s race, with additional competitions still ahead. Reflecting on his journey, Warburton said, “I would never have thought this would be possible five or six years ago, I didn’t know where my life was going, I didn’t have a clue on what was going to happen.” He added, “I originally started skiing more seriously just to impress my father-in-law. He ski raced back in the day. He’s watching back home and he’s happy, he’s coming out to watch the Super G and they’re all super proud of me.”
The partnership between Warburton and Hannan began roughly 18 months ago, yet they have embraced the challenges of their first Paralympic Games with enthusiasm. Saturday’s downhill was the duo’s very first at this level, finishing with a factored time 14.24 seconds behind the gold medalist Johannes Aigner of Austria, who secured his second consecutive Paralympic downhill title. Warburton, who resides in Cervinia with his wife and hosts Hannan in their spare room, described the experience as “What a rollercoaster ride.” He shared his outlook by stating, “The big goal for us is 2030 and building towards that and getting this experience, but it’s a story of grit and determination and it shows to anyone out there who is faced with some adversity, put your best foot forward and you can do anything.”
In addition to Warburton’s strong showing, British athlete Neil Simpson and his guide and brother Andrew Simpson achieved a commendable fourth place finish in the same downhill event, narrowly missing out on a podium spot by 2.67 seconds. Simpson, who is the reigning champion in the Super G, is set to compete in that event on Monday.
Meanwhile, Scott Meenagh, one of Great Britain’s two flagbearers at the opening ceremony and participating in his third Winter Paralympics, finished 23rd in the men’s Para-biathlon seated sprint. The 36-year-old Scotsman found the shooting portion of the 7.5km race difficult, missing six targets and finishing nearly five minutes behind winner Taras Rad, who delivered Ukraine’s first medal of the Milan-Cortina Games. Meenagh is scheduled to compete in three more events, beginning with the 12.5km individual race on Sunday. Reflecting on the upcoming challenge, he told Channel 4, “Tomorrow, the stakes are a lot higher – you have to be really clean on the shooting range because every miss means a minute extra on to your time, so you see a lot more people settling into their routine.” He also expressed confidence about his endurance, saying, “When it starts to get tough, I’m able to stay in the fight, so that’s what I plan to do tomorrow.”
Turning to wheelchair curling, the British mixed team event commenced on Saturday morning, with the British quartet of Hugh Nibloe, Stewart Pimblett, Austin McKenzie, and Karen Aspey facing a tough loss. They were defeated 9-2 by Slovakia during their opening match of the ten-team round-robin phase. The contest was closely contested until Slovakia gained a decisive advantage by stealing four shots in the fifth end, extending their lead to 7-2. Later in the day, Great Britain was scheduled to face the United States at 17:35 GMT. Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles curling competition, British duo Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean were set to play against the reigning world champions Japan at 13:35. The pair and their team stood tied for second place alongside four other nations in the eight-team tournament, each having secured two wins and suffered two losses thus far
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.