Neil Simpson Wins Paralympic Silver for Great Britain

A blazing final run just earned Great Britain its first medal at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, and the comeback story behind it makes the silver shine even brighter.

Neil Simpson, 23, and his guide Rob Poth pulled off an incredible afternoon performance in Cortina, Italy. The visually impaired skier posted the fastest slalom time of the day to jump from fourth place to second in the alpine combined event.

Simpson was born with nystagmus, a condition that causes involuntary eye movements. He competes with Poth, who guides him down the course through audio cues and positioning.

The alpine combined requires athletes to complete both a super G run and a slalom run, with times combined for the final standings. After the morning super G on the iconic Tofane piste, Simpson and Poth sat in fourth, more than half a second off the podium.

But they had a plan for the slalom, and they executed it perfectly. Their afternoon run clocked 42.52 seconds, one-tenth of a second faster than anyone else on the course that day.

For Simpson, this is his third Paralympic medal overall. Four years ago in Beijing, he made history as the first British man to win gold at a Winter Paralympics, guided by his brother Andrew in the super G.

For Poth, 28, competing in his first Paralympic Games, the silver represents something profound. "I'm buzzing. For me it was a little bit of a relief, but our slalom is in a great place," he said after the race.

Why This Inspires

What makes this story truly special isn't just the medal. It's watching two athletes build something together across multiple competitions. Simpson and Poth recorded fourth-place finishes in earlier events at these Games, but they kept refining their approach, trusting the process.

Their slalom performance sends a powerful message about patience and partnership. In a sport where trust between athlete and guide can mean the difference between gold and crashing out, Simpson and Poth are hitting their stride at exactly the right moment.

They have two more medal chances coming up: giant slalom on Friday and slalom on Sunday. Given their dominant slalom performance in the combined event, the confidence heading into Sunday's standalone slalom race couldn't be higher.

"Run by run, we are building up the confidence, that has definitely taken it up a notch and we're getting closer to that top step," Poth said.

Sometimes the best stories aren't about instant success but about finding your rhythm when it matters most.