Category: A News

Beijing 2022 – Day 7 Update

The Para Skiing events took centre stage on day 7 of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Para Nordic Skiing

Scott Meenagh achieved the best result of his Paralympic career finishing in 6th place in the long-distance biathlon in Zhiangjiakou. Scott pushed hard over the 12.5km course to finish in 40:32.5 with just one penalty in the four rounds of shooting.

Scott, who is from Cumbernauld, said: “I am happy with that – it felt nice and smooth and I shot really smoothly.”

“I am a bit disappointed not to have gone clear in shooting but to be one shot away potentially from a medal is really good.”

“My Games goal was to finish in the top six in biathlon if you finish in the top six then anything can happen.”

“The credit goes to the team who get me on snow: the waxing team, picking the right skis and making life as easy for me as possible.”

“Looking ahead to the next Games I feel a medal is within my reach and I am not going to stop until I get it.”

Prestwick’s Callum Deboys finished in 18th place with a time of 44:53.8 and five shooting penalties.

Para Alpine Skiing

ParalympicsGB’s women were back out on the slopes of Yanqing for the Giant Slalom on day 7 of the Games, with Brett Wild guiding Millie Knight in the Visually Impaired event. Millie and Brett, who won Downhill bronze on day one of the Games finished in 9th place.

Livingston’s Paralympic debutant Shona Brownlee also finished 9th in the women’s Giant Slalom sitting event and enjoyed the chance to gain valuable experience against the best in the world.”

“It’s all still a bit of a blur,” she said. “I’m pleased just to have completed it, there was a little bit of nerves after I didn’t finish the Slalom on this hill the other day, so my first run was probably a little bit tentative. So I’m glad that I’ve got down and got another Paralympic race under my belt.”

“Each time I finish a run and finish a race it’s just building that confidence which makes it easier for the next time.”

“I can take so much away from this, the whole experience has been so much to learn – both in terms of the skiing, the level of competition and also the whole atmosphere. There’s definitely a lot I can learn from this and take into the future.”

Para Snowboard

Stirling’s Andy MacLeod was back in action, making his banked slalom debut at the Zhiangjiakou Genting Snow Park. Andy posted a best time of 1:16.55 to finish the competition in 20th place.

The slopes will be busy again tomorrow for Day 8 of the Games with Scot’s Neil and Andrew Simpson, Callum Deboys, Scott Meenagh and Hope Gordon all in action.

Beijing 2022 – Day 6 Update 

Day 6 of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games saw a Scottish gold medal winner back on the slopes and the wheelchair curlers conclude their round robin fixtures. 

Para Alpine Skiing 

Banchory brothers, Neil and Andrew Simpson were competing in the visually impaired Giant Slalom and finished just out of the medals in fifth place after their two runs. 

The duo, who won Super-G gold and Super Combined bronze earlier in the week, clocked 1:59.45 in the warm conditions. 

“It was tricky,” admitted Neil. “It was a shorter distance than we are used to in Giant Slalom, certainly than what we’ve been training in the past season. The first run wasn’t ideal, we both were holding on to the ski too long and that costs you time each gate and builds up pretty quickly. The second run was better, there were some positives and something to work on.” 

Wheelchair Curling 

ParalympicsGB’s Wheelchair Curling team began Day 6 of competition knowing that a semi-final place was out of reach and faced a tough test against reigning World Champions China at the Ice Cube. 

China are favourites for the gold medal but the ParalympicsGB team of Skip Hugh Nibloe, Gregor Ewan, Meggan Dawson-Farrell and Gary Smith were more than a match for their opponents in the opening ends, leading 3-2 at the halfway stage.  

However, China took the match to the ParalympicsGB quartet after the break and eventually secured their seventh consecutive victory of the round robin stage by 6-3. 

ParalymicsGB’s Wheelchair Curlers’ played their final match at Beijing 2022 against a Latvia side that still had an outside chance of reaching the semi-finals. ParalympicsGB took control early in the match scoring three in the second end to lead 4-0. A fantastic take out with the hammer saw ParalympicsGB move into a commanding 7-1 lead at the halfway stage 

Led by Skip Hugh Nibloe, they protected their lead in the last four ends to secure an emphatic 8-4 victory to finish with four wins and six losses in the round robin. 

After the match Hugh Nibloe said: “We made shots from the start and put Latvia under pressure straight away and we perhaps haven’t done that in earlier matches. Gregor made the shots to put them under pressure and we got a couple of early steals.” 

 

Tomorrow’s action from Beijing will see Shona Brownlee and Brett Wild competing in the Giant Slalom and Callum Deboys and Scott Meenagh take on the 12.5Km Biathlon. 

Boccia UK to recruit new independent directors

Boccia UK is set to strengthen its board with the appointment of two new independent directors.

Boccia UK is the national governing body of boccia, the world’s fastest growing Paralympic sport. It is responsible for identifying and nurturing the talents of the UK’s best boccia players, including three-times Paralympic gold medallist David Smith OBE.

Boccia UK Chair David Richmond explains:

 “The recruitment process has already begun, searching specifically for candidates with experience in finance and accounting as well as an individual who understands from an athlete perspective what it takes to deliver a successful world class programme.”

 “Both positions are voluntary and will play a vital role in the future of Boccia UK.  We are an ambitious governing body, eager to build on our achievements at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and the BISFed 2018 World Boccia Championships which we hosted in Liverpool. The successful candidates will join a highly experienced board and will help steer Boccia UK to continued future success.”

Full information can found on the Boccia UK website here: http://boccia.uk.com/news/2022/3/4/boccia-uk-to-recruit-new-independent-directors

Beijing 2022 – Day 5 Update

It was day 5 for the Scottish athletes competing for ParalympicsGB at the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games and it was a day when history would be made for one Scottish athlete.

Para Nordic Skiing

History was made in a tough morning for Scotland’s cross-country skiers as Callum Deboys and Hope Gordon narrowly missed out on qualification for the sprint semi-finals.

It was 17th place for Hope, who took her place in the history books by becoming ParalympicsGB’s first ever female Para Nordic skier.

Commenting on her achievement, Hope said: “I’m just happy to have got round it in one piece, I would definitely have liked a little bit more but equally I’m quite realistic with my expectations and this morning I told myself ‘I’m not going to be too hard on myself’ and I’m going to try and stick to that because just to be here is so much more than I thought could be achieved within the time I’ve been in the sport,”

“I think it has been a really quick whirlwind but I think as well, all the training I’ve done in however many years before that is the reason why I’m here and it just so happens that I’ve been able to use that for this sport.

“I’ve got the 7.5km on Saturday, never done one of them before, so not really got a huge amount of expectations, once again just try and get round it, it’s 7,300 metres longer than I’m used to racing.”

Callum placed 22nd in qualification but unfortunately it was only the top 12 who progressed through to the semi-final stages.

After his race Callum said: “For me and where I am that’s as good a result as I can get just now, it’s a super tough field, take nothing away from the rest of the athletes out there today it is a tough field in cross country, but for me and where I’m at I’m over the moon with that result,”

“It’s a lot in this environment and it’s quite overwhelming so I’m just trying to soak everything up and enjoy myself and get as much experience as I can with a view to the next Games.”

 

Wheelchair Curling

There was drama on the ice in Scotland’s first match of the day when David Melrose was stretchered from the Ice Cube following a freak accident when he fell from his chair while reaching for a delivery stick in the defeat against Canada. The accident saw Gary Smith take to the ice following his Paralympic debut the night before with the match delicately poised at 2-2 at the halfway stage.

Skip Hugh Nibloe said: “It did effect us we are a close-knit bunch and it’s never easy to see anyone you care about taken away on a stretcher. The most important thing is that he is ok

Both teams had similar records going into the crucial round robin, having both lost three matches, although Canada had one more victory.

Hugh Nibloe was back in the team as Skip as ParalympicsGB began the match scoring one in the first end and a steal in the second to lead 2-0. It was a cagey affair with Canada then scoring one in the next end.

Canada took a 6-3 lead going into the final end with the match eventually conceded by Skip Hugh Nibloe. Defeat leave ParalympicsGB’s Wheelchair Curlers needing to win their remaining matches to keep qualification for the semi-finals in their own hands.

After the match Hugh said: “Its easy now we have got to go out and win our last three games – no ifs, no buts we want to put on a performance for David and give him something to smile about.”

In their second match of day 5 of the Games, Paralympics GB faced Korea in a must win encounter. With David Melrose ruled out due to injury Gary Smith joined skip Hugh Nibloe, Gregor Ewan and Meggan Dawson-Farrell for the crucial tie.

Korea scored three with the hammer in the opening end and ParalympicsGB scored one in the next but Korea then replied with two to take a 5-1 lead.

The British team hit back with a two in the seventh and in the final end the tension really built before Sunghun Jung produced a wonderful shot to win the match 8-6 and end ParalympicsGB’s hopes of reaching the last four.

Skip Hugh Nibloe said: “It’s disappointing, it’s not what we came here for to finish up so early. We are quite a young team, with three players at their first Paralympics, other teams have played together for years and years. Other teams have punished us and we have not been as clinical in punishing them.”

Tomorrow will see Neil and Andrew Simpson back in action in the Giant Slalom and the wheelchair curlers back on the ice to face China and Latvia.

 

Beijing 2022 – Day 4 Update

Scottish athletes were once again in action for ParalympicsGB on the 4th day of competition in Beijing, with the Wheelchair Curling team keeping themselves in contention for progression from the round robin tournament.

Wheelchair Curling

The 5 strong Scottish wheelchair curling contingent made a fantastic start to day 4 of the games with a convincing 10-5 victory over Estonia in the Ice Cube, with Gary Smith making his Paralympic Games debut. This continued a trend where the team have got off to a fast start having won all of their matches in the morning session so far.

Unfortunately they couldn’t take this momentum into the afternoon session as they lost out 6-4 to table toppers Sweden. With 4 games remaining in the round robin, they are still in contention to progress into the next stage of the competition.

In competition today was Meggan Dawson-Farrell who we interviewed ahead of the games for today’s International Women’s Day celebration: https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/meggan-dawson-farrell-a-journey-from-participation-sport-to-the-paralympic-winter-games/ 

Para Nordic Skiing

Scott Meenagh and Callum Deboys were in action in the Biathlon event, with Meenagh making it back-to-back top 10 finishes and equalling his best ever Paralympic result coming in 9th position.

He said of his achievement, “To be there consistently in that top 10 and tugging on the sleeves of the best of the world is something I’m really proud of.”

Callum Deboys was to finish in 18th position in the same event.

Beijing 2022 – Day 3 Update

There was more success for Scottish athletes on day 3 of the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. Brothers Neil & Andrew Simpson got on the podium for the second time in 2 days bringing the medal tally for Scots on ParalympicsGB to 3, with one gold and two bronzes so far.

Para Alpine Skiing

The Simpson brothers are having a phenomenal games as they added to their thrilling gold medal yesterday in the Super Combined VI, as Andrew guided Neil to a bronze medal finish to continue their excellent first games.

Watch the boys from Banchory add to their medal tally:

Neil Simpson said, “I think with the mistake in the first run coming into the slalom we knew we had to charge, and we had nothing to lose going in to the second run.

“I skied a lot of slalom when I was younger as you have no choice growing up in Scotland and it’s something I really enjoy. I was so tired after the gold medal yesterday I just had some food and went to bed so we were in the right mindset today.”

Andrew Simpson said “ We are still really, really happy with the Super G, we just had one mistake. We knew we were still close with the time and we got fired up and attacked the slalom.”

Brett Wild once again guided Millie Knight to an excellent 4th place finish in the women’s Super Combined VI, another excellent run for the duo in Beijing.

Shona Brownlee also competed in the Sitting Super Combined putting in a competitive performance and finishing 6th in her debut games.

Wheelchair Curling

The ParalympicsGB Wheelchair Curling team, comprised entirely of Scots, made an excellent start to the second day of the round robin competition by beating the Swiss 15-1 in convincing fashion. After running out into a 10-0 lead, the team cruised to victory thereafter.

Following this impressive victory they took on Slovakia and narrowly lost out 7-3 in their second game of the day in the Ice Cube, leaving them with a 50% win record so far as they prepare to face Sweden and Estonia tomorrow.

 

Beijing 2022 – Day 2 Update

It was a record breaking second day of the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, with a gold medal added to the Scottish medal tally as brothers Neil and Andrew Simpson made history for Paralympics GB in the Para Alpine Skiing.

Para Alpine Skiing

Neil Simpson was guided by his brother Andrew to a stunning gold medal in the Para Alpine Skiing Super G. This momentous run was the first ever British men’s gold medal on snow in Olympic & Paralympic history.

Watch the record breaking brothers from Banchory make history:

Neil Simpson talked about skiing with his brother as a guide: “You’re able to be very clear and concise – even blunt. You don’t have to beat around the bush so that definitely helps, we grew up together so we know what each other is thinking.”

Elsewhere in the Para Alpine team Brett Wild came agonisingly close to getting on the medal table for a second day in a row, as he guided Millie Knight into 4th place in the women’s Super G event.

Shona Brownlee also got her games off and running with a 6th place finish in the women’s Super G sitting event.

Para Nordic Skiing

Scott Meenagh was back in action in the Nordic Long Distance Cross Country, finishing in 12th place.

Following the race he said, “I gave it everything today. It’s the most competitive field in Paralympic sport in my eyes and I’m really proud to be amongst it.”

Para Snowboarding

In his first games Andy Macleod wasn’t to progress to the Snowboard cross finals tomorrow, but he had a positive message about becoming a Paralympian on his 11th Ampu-versary.

“It’s phenomenal. I’m really chuffed. I’m at the Paralympics during my ampu-versary so I can just sit back, enjoy the sunshine and watch the boys do well tomorrow”.

More on the ParalympicsGB website

Images: ParalympicsGB

Beijing 2022 – Day 1 Update

It was a busy first day of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games for the Scottish contingent of athletes on the ParalympicsGB team topped off with bronze medal success for Brett Wild.

Para Alpine Skiing

In what was a remarkable start to the games, ParalympicsGB were to get on the medal board early as Millie Knight was successfully guided by Scot Brett Wild in the Women’s Downhill VI event.

Finishing in a time of 1:23.20 at the Yanqing National Alpine Centre, the pair secured the first medal for ParalympicsGB in the games and were visibly delighted at their fantastic achievement.

Millie Knight said, “We genuinely did not think a medal would be achievable especially with the standard at the moment –  I didn’t think I was good enough to be up there. At the start I was just thinking find the seconds, do anything you can do to go faster, it doesn’t matter if you’re scared, keep going”

In the Men’s Downhill VI, brothers Neil and Andrew Simpson (guide) saw their first action of the games and placed 7th.

Para Nordic Skiing

Scots Callum Deboys and Scott Meehan got their Paralympic Games off to a start, finishing 17th and 9th respectively in the Men’s Sprint Sitting Biathlon.

Wheelchair Curling

Elsewhere the wheelchair curlers were on the rink as the round-robin competition got underway, as the ParalympicsGB team of 5 Scots were to narrowly lose out 7-5 to a strong Norway, before bouncing back to defeat the USA 10-6 to get off the mark in the games.

Skip Hugh Nibloe said: ‘United States and Norway are good teams so to come out today won one and lost one is probably fair and it was so important to get that first W.

“It was so important especially for Meggan and David being their first Paralympics to get that belief that we can win games and we know we are good enough. Now it’s just important we go out and back it and keep that winning feeling bottled.’

More on the ParalympicsGB website

Head and shoulders picture of Gary Smith

Gary Smith – Journey to Beijing

We sat down with Scottish wheelchair curler Gary Smith before he headed off to Beijing to compete in his very first Paralympic Winter Games. We covered his journey in sport, his transfer to wheelchair curling and what competing in the games means to him.

Early journey into sport

Gary was always interested in sport as a youngster, but attending a mainstream school there was very little provision for people with disabilities to participate in sport at the time. He was able to take part in table tennis which was his first opportunity to experience the power of sport and he was to experience more. It was a chance encounter at a function that gave him that opportunity, where he was invited along to try wheelchair basketball, a sport he had previously enjoyed watching on TV. Other than the blisters on his hands and fingers in his first few attempts, he soon loved playing the sport.

He was to play wheelchair basketball on and off for 20 years, but this took a certain toll on his body which he admitted was getting quite weary and he made the difficult decision to retire after further shoulder problems. He soon got involved in coaching, and as much as he enjoyed it he was soon missing the competitive environment of playing himself.

Transferring sports

With Gary still missing competitive sport, he was offered the chance to try wheelchair curling. With less physical impact than basketball, this was the ideal opportunity to get back competing in sport – he admits he was terrible at first but he soon learned the ropes and found a love for his new sport. 

Being a competitive individual, he was determined to be ambitious and compete at the highest level he could though he admits he never quite dreamed of competing at a Paralympic Games saying, ‘getting to this level is an absolute dream’.

What makes Curling great and why should you try it?

Gary is keen to pass on his love for the sport on to others, and urges anyone with a passing interest to watch the Paralympic Games to find out why. He is keen to point out the team aspect of the sport, one in which creates a sense of real camaraderie between teammates which is crucial for the success of a curling team. 

It is a tactical sport, and Gary enjoys working out the opposition moves and what they are trying to do. Gary plays ‘Second’ position, where he gets a variety of shot to play depending on the situation of the game. 

Gary wants to encourage anyone who is inspired by watching the Games to get involved, as he is certain they won’t regret it. He points to the many opportunities that there are to get involved in the sport, even at just a recreational level through SDS and is certain that once people give it a go, they won’t look back. He also reminds those who want to give curling a go to wrap up warm, it is a winter sport after all!

Selection for Beijing

Gary was called up to the ParalympicsGB squad as a late replacement for Charlotte McKenna, who was unfortunate to pull out of the squad through injury. He had ambitions to compete in a Paralympic Games however due to some medical issues he believed his chance had gone on this occasion. With an operation required and a period of recuperation following it necessary, this was to drag on due to COVID and whilst getting to Beijing was a ‘long-shot’, he never gave up on his dream and was determined to stay fit and in with a fighting chance of selection. 

With the operation and recovery his main concern, he was more than willing to join the team if needed, but he admits his focus had shifted on to the next cycle, however due to the injury to his teammate, he was drafted in at late notice to realise his dream of competing at a Paralympic Winter Games. 

He found out just as he was about to take to the ice for a training session, receiving a call from his coach where he was asked to come in and speak to him. Jokingly Gary thought, ‘oh what have I done now?!’, but on arrival he was told he had been selected. He described himself as ‘absolutely over the moon’ about being told the news.

Ambitions for Beijing

With the team in now in Beijing and ready to take to the world stage, Gary and the team have a positive mindset about competing well and putting themselves in with a shot at a medal saying, ‘like every athlete, we must look to go for gold and whether that happens or not you have to look to be as successful as possible and compete for top spot’. He acknowledges the competition will be incredibly tough, but believes in his and the squad’s ability to be in with a shout of getting on the podium.

He is also very much looking to enjoy the experience, realising that it is his first games and that in itself is an immense privilege, knowing he may not get another chance. He plans to soak it in and enjoy it, without forgetting the job in hand and is determined to have no regrets.

Gary’s story is a demonstration of how it is never too late to chase your sporting dreams, no matter what age and stage you are at. He is keen to promote the message for everyone to believe in themselves and give it a shot, whatever it is and you never know what may happen.

For Gary, this could be his athlete journey from struggling to get involved in sport at school to success on the biggest stage. We wish Gary and the squad the best of luck in Beijing.