Kelly Gallagher backs Paralympics GB squad for Milano Cortina success
Kelly Gallagher has returned to the Paralympics GB fold in an advisory capacity to guide the next generation of winter athletes ahead of the Milano Cortina Games.
Mixing youth and experience
The retired skier created history at Sochi 2014 by becoming Britain’s first Winter Paralympic champion.
She has now taken up a mentorship role to support the 25-strong squad selected for the upcoming Games.
Gallagher believes the blend of seasoned veterans and debutants offers a strong platform for success.
“There are multi-medallists returning to the Games and then we have got a big group of people for whom this is their first time,” Gallagher said.
“We have got Britain’s first female snowboarder in Nina Sparks and I think just them getting to the start line and putting in their best prepared performance is going to be really, really special to watch.”
Medal targets and unpredictability
UK Sport has set a formal target of between two and five medals for the team in Italy.
This represents a slight adjustment from the six podium finishes achieved at the Beijing 2022 Paralympics.
The former Super-G specialist acknowledges the inherent volatility of sliding on snow and ice.
“Keeping it all together and focusing just on your performance can be really, really difficult,” she added.
“Winter sports are just really unpredictable, so it is hard to predict medals and hang your hopes on any one person.”
However, the Northern Irish athlete remains optimistic about the depth of talent available.
“The fact that we have got so much experience and it is spread out so much means there could be medals out there.”
Raising the bar
Gallagher says her confidence stems from the rising standards and changing attitudes within disability sport.
She notes that the levels of achievement athletes are reaching now are constantly increasing.
Reflecting on her own partnership with guide Charlotte Evans, she highlights how the sport has evolved since her debut.
“When I first began with sport it was very much like an investment in my own kind of time, my own little journey and my own adventure,” she explained.
