Golden Girl Menna Slaloms Into History Books

Menna Fitzpatrick is the new golden girl of Welsh Paralympics after powering to the slalom title at the Games in Pyeongchang.

The 19-year-old and guide Jen Kehoe took their medal haul from Korea to four as they bagged Britain’s first gold of the Games.

The duo added to the two silvers and bronze they had already won to become Britain’s most successful winter Paralympians.

Macclesfield-born Fitzpatrick said: “We wanted to show what we are capable of.

“I am so proud of what we did out there.

“I felt that we skied really well. We went for it and as soon Jen said go for it, we flew down that last bit.”

The duo beat Slovakia’s Henrieta Farkasova and Natalia Subrtova – who had already won four gold medals – by 0.66 seconds.

Fellow Brits Millie Knight and Brett Wild won bronze to add to their two silvers to ensure the team met it’s medal target.

Fitzpatrick, 19, and Kehoe, 34, stormed down the course on their second run to snatch gold having trailed their Slovak rivals on the first.

It completed a stunning Games for Fitzpatrick – who started skiing aged five on a family holiday – after she crashed out in her first event, the downhill.

Army officer Kehoe admitted: “We were trying to keep it together on the medal podium because it was hugely emotional.

“It’s unbelievable to win a gold medal and it is beyond our wildest dreams.”

Fitzpatrick, speaking to BBC Sport, added: ”After the downhill it was emotional in a sad way because we had done really well in it all season.

“We were really gutted but we then worked really hard to dust ourselves off. All the emotions got put aside and we just had a job to do.”