FOUR YEARS AFTER a heart-breaking fourth place in Vancouver, Kelly Gallagher claimed the gold medal in the Super-G event in Sochi this morning.
The visually impaired 28-year old from Bangor, Co. Down, was first down the slopes this morning with her guide Charlotte Evans and their time of 1.28.72 was unmatched by the five other competing pairs.
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The gold was Britain’s first on the snow at a Paralympics in 20 years.
Speaking to TheScore.ie earlier this year, Northern Ireland’s first ever Winter Paralympian admitted that training with the likes of Jason Smyth and Michael McKillop at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland was one of her biggest inspirations.
“Seeing Jason [Smyth] and Michael [McKillop] and the boxers here in the Sport Institute, it’s great training here because we’re all able to train together and gym together.
“Training among athletes like that is inspiring and then seeing them put in a performance in the Olympics and Paralympics is really nice.”
Gallagher started skiing for the first time when she was 17 and began working with Evans in 2010. Since then, the pair have won minor medals at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships as well as a World Cup gold.
The result makes up for a disappointing result in Saturday’s Downhill event when the pair finished sixth.
Northern Ireland's Kelly Gallagher claims Paralympic gold
FOUR YEARS AFTER a heart-breaking fourth place in Vancouver, Kelly Gallagher claimed the gold medal in the Super-G event in Sochi this morning.
The visually impaired 28-year old from Bangor, Co. Down, was first down the slopes this morning with her guide Charlotte Evans and their time of 1.28.72 was unmatched by the five other competing pairs.
The gold was Britain’s first on the snow at a Paralympics in 20 years.
Speaking to TheScore.ie earlier this year, Northern Ireland’s first ever Winter Paralympian admitted that training with the likes of Jason Smyth and Michael McKillop at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland was one of her biggest inspirations.
“Seeing Jason [Smyth] and Michael [McKillop] and the boxers here in the Sport Institute, it’s great training here because we’re all able to train together and gym together.
“Training among athletes like that is inspiring and then seeing them put in a performance in the Olympics and Paralympics is really nice.”
Gallagher started skiing for the first time when she was 17 and began working with Evans in 2010. Since then, the pair have won minor medals at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships as well as a World Cup gold.
The result makes up for a disappointing result in Saturday’s Downhill event when the pair finished sixth.
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Gold kelly gallagher Sochi Sochi 2014 Sochi 2014 Olympics super-g winter paralympics