Paralympic gold 'beyond wildest dreams' for Menna Fitzpatrick and Jen Kehoe
Last Updated: 19/03/18 9:42pm
Britain's Menna Fitzpatrick has described winning gold at the Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang as “beyond her wildest dreams”.
Fitzpatrick and guide Jen Kehoe took gold in the women's visually-impaired slalom on Sunday, adding to the two silvers and a bronze they had already won in South Korea.
It was Team GB's only gold medal of the games and it etched the names of Fitzpatrick and Kehoe into the history books as Britain's most successful-ever Winter Paralympians.
"The last week has been so unexpected and beyond my wildest dreams really," Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports News.
Fitzpatrick was born with congenital retinal folds which means she has no vision in her left eye and limited vision in her right eye.
She had a difficult start when she crashed out in her opening downhill event.
"As soon as you have a fall at 70mph it definitely knocks your confidence a lot and for the next race you get all tense and there is even more risk of injuring yourself," Fitzpatrick explained.
"Coming back from that took a lot of strength."
Kehoe, who guides Fitzpatrick on the slopes via a Bluetooth headset, admitted the pair turned to their sports psychologist to help them overcome the early setback.
"[We had] lots of ups and downs, starting with the big fall in the downhill which we really had to pick ourselves up from and reset," Kehoe said.
That was a challenge but I think also a testament to the hard work and training we have done this season and in previous seasons.
"We were able to do that and come back with a bang."
