The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games saw a 25-strong squad for ParalympicsGB compete across nine days of action on the snow and ice. Although the British team only secured a single medal, they still achieved several milestones to further enhance their proud history.
Here, we round up the results and reactions from ParalympicsGB at Milano Cortina 2026, and remind you of the ways you can get involved in disability sports and raise awareness of the importance of equal access to physical education in schools.
Neil Simpson secures stunning silver in the VI Super Combined Alpine skiing
Neil Simpson and guide Rob Poth won a silver medal in the Alpine skiing Super Combined, and the Scot’s podium finish meant he now has a total of three medals, gold, silver and bronze, won across Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026.
The 23-year-old from Banchory was the only British athlete to reach a podium finish at these Games.
At this event, Neil and Rob sat in 4th place after the Super-G run in the morning, but produced the best time of the slalom run to jump into the silver medal position with a total time of 1:57.07, completing his full set of Paralympic medals.
On winning silver, Neil said: “I’m really chuffed with the performance. [There was] some good skiing on the second run, and we carried out the plan we had from course inspection.
“The visually impaired men’s is really strong, and there are lots of really great guys in there, so really pleased to get onto the podium.”
Unfortunately, Neil couldn’t extend his medal tally at Milano Cortana. On the opening day, guided by his brother Andrew Simpson, the pair could only finish 4th in the Downhill. He also finished 4th in the Super G with Rob. In the Giant Slalom, Neil and Rob crashed out in the first run, and on the final day in the Slalom, the pair disappointingly did not finish after Neil clipped a gate in challenging conditions whilst aiming for a podium finish after heavy snow overnight.
Alpine skier Menna Fitzpatrick overcomes adversity to tackle the Italian slopes
Despite recovering from a broken leg, which she sustained in November 2024, and then picking up a knee injury in December 2025, Great Britain’s most decorated Paralympian, Menna Fitzpatrick, was still determined to compete at these Winter Paralympics.
The 27-year-old from Macclesfield, who was competing alongside guide Katie Guest, decided not to compete in the Downhill to rest up for the remaining four Alpine ski events.
Menna was very determined to try and reach the podium, but it just wasn’t to be this time round. She picked up two 6th-place finishes in the Super G and Giant Slalom and finished 9th in the Super Combined. Her best performance was in her final race, a 5th-place finish in the Slalom.
Speaking on her performance in the Slalom, Menna said:
“I think it’s been a really successful Games for us considering where I was before these Games, especially the performance today.
“We really went out there and pushed it, and we’re really happy with the result.”
On plans after Milano Cortina 2026, Menna added:
“Every end of a cycle marks a new challenge. My plan is to hopefully make it to France in 2030. I first learned to ski in France, so it’s almost like going home.
“That would be a really cool one for me to aim for.”
Promising debuts and breakthrough performances in Alpine skiing
There were also several Alpine ski debutants for ParalympicsGB taking to the slopes.
Fred Warburton and his guide, James Hannan (a.k.a. Jimbo), competed in four events, starting with the Downhill, where they finished 7th.
On his Paralympic debut, Fred said: “What a rollercoaster ride. It was our first-ever Downhill race, and we had our first-ever ski race just a year and five days ago…”
He added: “It’s a story of grit and determination, and it really shows that anyone out there who is faced with some adversity in their life, if you put your best foot forward, you can do anything.”
Fred and Jimbo also had two 12th-place finishes in the Super G and Giant Slalom, but sadly failed to complete the Super Combined race.
ParalympicsGB’s emerging alpine talent gained valuable experience in Milano Cortina, with 16-year-old Fife skier Dom Allen delivering determined performances in the LW6/8-2 standing class, finishing 25th in Giant Slalom and 19th in Slalom.
Norwich’s Sam Cozens, 19, competing in the visually impaired category with guide Adam Hall, impressed with a 12th-place Slalom finish and 17th in Giant Slalom.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Hester Poole from Bath, skiing with guide Ali Hall, showed resilience despite not finishing her Slalom and Giant Slalom events, underlining the promise of ParalympicsGB’s next generation.
A bittersweet ending for Para Nordic skier Scott Meenagh
Competing in his third and final Paralympic Games, Scott Meenagh hoped this would be the year he’d reach a Paralympic podium finish. His build-up to Milano Cortina saw him in great form in 2025, finishing 4th at the Para Biathlon World Cup Sprint in Val di Fiemme before heading to the Para Biathlon World Championships in Slovenia, where he notched up three impressive top ten finishes.
He rounded off the season with a superb bronze medal-winning performance in the Biathlon Sprint Pursuit at the World Cup in Torsby and finished third overall in the World Cup standings.
Despite great preparations, Scott couldn’t reach a Paralympic podium finish. His first event was the men’s Para Biathlon sprint sitting final, in which he finished 23rd in 24:54.3.
The next day, he finished 18th in the men’s Para Biathlon individual, and then at the end of the week, he finished 14th in the para biathlon men’s sprint pursuit and 15th in the 20km cross country skiing.
Reacting to his overall performance in the biathlon, Scott said:
“I am very proud of my ability to come back and express my own athletic identity and showcase what my range process can look like, especially when I had a couple of really difficult days at the start.
“I have had to really grow and adapt very quickly in quite a short period of time.”
Now Scott is leaving Nordic skiing feeling very proud and leaving a legacy, in which he not only became the first Brit to feature at a Winter Paralympics in the sport but also built the national governing body himself.
The 36-year-old Scotsman now wants to focus on fatherhood, becoming a cheerleader for his two children.
History-making British Para snowboarders showcase their skills
Five athletes represented the British team across the Snowboard Cross and Banked Slalom events, each facing a mix of tough competition and unpredictable race conditions. Despite setbacks and missed progression in some events, the group also produced meaningful performances and personal milestones on the Paralympic stage.
The men’s Snowboard Cross SB-UL event proved challenging for the British athletes, with James Barnes-Miller narrowly missing progression after placing 4th in his quarterfinal, while Davy Zyw was unable to finish his pre-heat. Despite strong qualification performances, mistakes during the races proved costly, highlighting the unpredictable nature of Snowboard Cross.
Reacting to his performance, James said: “I messed up the start, I was trying to chase back down, and I messed up the corner. It wasn’t the cleanest, and it’s a bit of a shame really because I qualified really well yesterday.
“But that’s snowboarding, isn’t it? It’s not meant to be.”
Attention then turned to the Banked Slalom events, where several athletes delivered determined performances. On her Paralympic debut in the women’s SB-LL2, Nina Sparks finished 10th, producing a run she was proud of after years of preparation and steady improvement across the week.
“It’s definitely not sunk in. Pretty crazy day, I was a bit nervous going into this whole week. To have just put down a run that I’m really, really proud of and have just found out is apparently half a second quicker than the previous run, I will take that,” said Nina.
In the men’s SB-UL Banked Slalom, James Barnes-Miller placed 7th after improving on his second run despite minor errors. Matt Hamilton achieved 11th, marking a significant milestone in his progression at this level, while Davy Zyw finished 19th, celebrating not only his participation but also his journey to the Games.
Competing as the first Winter Paralympian with motor neurone disease, Davy also used the opportunity to raise awareness of the condition.
Speaking after his Banked Slalom race, Davy said: “I’m on cloud nine. I’ve had such a journey to not only qualify for the Paralympics, to fight my way into the team. It’s a dream come true that I’ve raced here and become a Paralympian.
“It’s a complicated disease. It’s an evil disease. The truth is, it’s not incurable, it’s just underfunded.
“If I can urge everyone to go out and inform themselves when they see it in the press, in the media and with people fundraising – support that.
“The more our society, our wider community understands what this condition is, the closer we all our to finding a cure.”
In the SB-LL2 category, Ollie Hill secured 7th place, reflecting on a solid performance despite small technical mistakes that limited his final standing.
Overall, the results demonstrated resilience and progress across the team, with athletes balancing competitive ambition alongside personal milestones. While podium finishes were out of reach, the performances showed development, determination, and valuable experience on the Paralympic stage, setting a strong foundation for future competitions.
Mixed fortunes and missed chances as ParalympicsGB fall short in Wheelchair Curling
ParalympicsGB’s wheelchair curling campaign featured a small group of athletes competing across both mixed doubles and mixed team events, facing a demanding schedule against strong international opposition. While there were notable victories and closely contested matches, consistency proved difficult, ultimately preventing progression beyond the round-robin stages.
In the inaugural mixed doubles, Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean experienced a mixed run of results. They opened with defeats to Estonia and South Korea, the latter a heavy loss, putting early pressure on their campaign.
However, they responded impressively with a series of tight and high-quality wins, edging Latvia and the USA in close encounters before producing a standout performance to defeat reigning world champions Japan dominantly. Despite this momentum, a subsequent loss to China and a narrow one-point defeat to Italy in their final round-robin match ended their hopes of advancing.
Reflecting on the results, Jo said: “We’re gutted. We’re devastated. We came in with a plan, and we didn’t quite execute it. The one thing I would say is I’m really proud of him [Jason], and I’m proud of us.
“We started shockingly in that game. We really did. We weren’t ourselves. But we got to the half-time, and we said let’s show them what we can do, at least.
“We left it all out there. We gave it absolutely everything, and we just fell short at the end. It hurts, and we’re really sorry.”
Jason echoed similar feelings: “We came here with a goal, and after the first couple of ends, to be 10-4 down in the sixth end, I didn’t think it was possible to get to an extra end.
“We somehow managed to dig it out and make it to the ninth end. For the want of a couple of feet on a stone, it was a case that we were just short.
“We tried our very best. It hurts quite a lot.”
The mixed team competition – featuring British athletes Hugh Nibloe, Stewart Pimblett, Karen Aspey, Austin McKenzie and Graeme Stewart – followed a similarly challenging pattern.
ParalympicsGB secured just one victory, a narrow win over the USA, but were otherwise unable to convert close matches into consistent success. Several defeats came by fine margins, including one-point losses to Canada, South Korea and Sweden, reflecting competitive performances that ultimately fell just short. Heavier defeats to teams such as Slovakia and Norway further impacted their standing, before their campaign concluded with a 9-4 defeat to China in their seventh round-robin match, confirming elimination at the round-robin stage.
The team concluded the competition in 10th place overall, missing out on the semi-finals.
Reacting to the defeat to China, ParalympicsGB’s captain Hugh Nibloe said:
“We’re a bit disappointed again. We took the game a bit more to China and were a bit more aggressive and things, and it was paying off at times. We made some good shots, but we just couldn’t keep it going. And I struggled with that seventh end, couldn’t make my draw, and China made a couple of good ones. I left Stewart with a bit to do and a bit too much, unfortunately, but happy with the fight we put up, just fell the wrong side of the result again.”
Stewart Pimblett added: “It is a bit heartbreaking, I am proud of what myself and the team have done here because we have gone hit-for-hit with the best teams in the world, and we just haven’t got over the line.”
Across both wheelchair curling disciplines, the results highlighted resilience and moments of strong execution, but also underlined the fine margins and sustained performance levels required to compete consistently at the highest level.
Milano Cortina 2026: medals, milestones and momentum for the future
ParalympicsGB’s campaign at Milano Cortina 2026 was defined by both standout success and powerful personal milestones. The silver medal performance from Neil Simpson and Rob Poth in the Super Combined was a highlight, but the Games also saw history made with Nina Sparks becoming the team’s first female Para snowboarder, alongside inspiring stories of resilience such as Davy Zyw’s journey. With 17 Paralympic debuts, the team showcased both emerging talent and future potential.
Across competition, results often came down to the narrowest of margins, reflecting the intensity and unpredictability of elite winter sport. While there were near misses, the performances demonstrated determination, growth and commitment at the highest level.
Beyond competition, ParalympicsGB continues to drive impact through initiatives like Equal Play, Every Body Moves, and Get Set, promoting inclusion and access to sport across the UK. With talent identification events already planned, the focus now turns to building towards future Winter Paralympic success.
Did you enjoy the Winter Paralympics? Has it inspired you to try winter sports or discover inclusive activities near you? Let us know in the comments box, on social media or contact us to share your personal story.