Menna Fitzpatrick has roared like a lion, thought about butterflies and sung to Lady Gaga so far in PyeongChang but not even she knows what’s in store on the final day.
The British alpine skier has already had a Winter Paralympic Games to savour, winning two silvers and a bronze medal alongside guide Jennifer Kehoe in the visually impaired category.
She’s done it all with a smile on her face too – not an easy feat when left on the brink of tears following a crash on day one of the Games.
But with one slalom race to go on Sunday (0030-0430 UK time) comes a chance to pick up the gold that has thus far eluded her, looking forward to rounding off her maiden and memorable Games in the only way she knows how.
“We’re just going to give it all we’ve got because we’ve got nothing to lose, we’re just enjoying life,” she said.
“We went into the World Cup finals before the Games feeling confident, we won two golds and two silvers there and that’s just got the confidence even higher. We’re just going to go for it and see what happens.
“Anyone who was there could hear how much we enjoyed the giant slalom, there was a big shout at the end of that.
“It just doesn’t sink in, when we get to celebrate we’ll have a chance to realise what we’ve done, our families have done all the celebrating for us so far.”
If Fitzpatrick and Kehoe needed a home away from home in PyeongChang, collecting their second silver medal – and third overall – in drizzly rain will have certainly done the trick.
But that giant slalom performance seems to be just the latest step for a pair who certainly have a future beyond their maiden Games, with few better springboards than a Winter Games success.
The obstacle between the British pair and a first ParalympicsGB gold once again looks set to come from Henrieta Farkasova, Paralympic champion in all the visually impaired events so far.
Yet for guide Kehoe, who leads the visually impaired hat-trick Fitzpatrick in each race, just getting to the bottom safely once again remains the immediate priority.
“Because we train so much, being able to bounce back so much from what was such a big fall was possible because we’ve put the hours in, it’s testament to all of that that we’ve done,” said the 34-year-old.
“Menna’s life is in my hands to some extent and when we do fall, we have to work together to build up the confidence as a pair, it is something we strive for to get that resilience.
“We’ve gone and done adventure courses and cross training to help build that confidence, it’s been really important for us.
“We’re away for seven months so you do build up that resilience, the training we do together helps us when we do have falls and we do have those bad days.”
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 http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/
