This year, Britain had one of their most successful years at the Winter Paralympics since Innsbruck in 1984.The
GB team won six medals - one gold, three silvers and two bronzes - which made
the team finish 10th in the medal table.
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| Photo: Charlotte Evans, Kelly Gallagher, Jade Etherington and Caroline Powell |
Jade Etherington and her guide Caroline Powell took
bronze in the same competition and won a whopping total of three silver medals
in the visually impaired downhill, slalom and super combined. GB's wheelchair
curling team, Aileen Neilson, Gregor Ewan, Jim Gault, Bob McPherson, and Angie
Malone, took a bronze medal.
British
skier Jade Etherington, who won three silvers and a bronze along with her guide
Caroline Powell, has been classed as being the greatest British Winter
Paralympian of all-time; because of this Etherington had the honour of
carrying the British flag at the closing ceremony. Unfortunately, Etherington
missed her final race of the competition, Sunday's giant slalom, because of
illness but recovered for the closing ceremony.
The
closing ceremony celebrated the achievements of the 547 athletes from 45
countries who competed for the 72 medals.
International
Paralympic Committee president, Sir Philip Craven, exclaimed that the Games were
the best ever Winter Paralympics. "Proud Paralympians - your inspirational
athletic performances have redefined the boundaries of possibility," he
told the crowd. "You have shown the world that absolutely anything is
possible and that life is about amazing capabilities and not perceived
deficiencies."
Britain
hopes to exceed even further in future Paralympics and the UK has set up
funding to help create future winter Paralympic stars.
The
Paralympic flag was lowered and presented to Pyeonchang
in South Korea, hosts of the 2018 Winter Games.
Virginia Mitreva,
year 8
