Kelly confident her gold medal winning form is close to return

KELLY Gallagher has already danced her way into a third Paralympic Winter Games but the Northern Ireland skier insists there are plenty more moves still to come in PyeongChang.

The visually impaired alpine skier became Paralympic champion at Sochi 2014 but just getting to South Korea produced the gold-medal feeling four years on.

Gallagher and guide Gary Smith hadn’t even expected to reach the winter pinnacle event but, having battled past a dislocated elbow and three fractured ribs, Kelly is back on form.

As the Bangor athlete skipped around the stadium during the opening ceremony, milking in the moment was certainly evident for all to see.

But the smile was replaced with tears – both good and bad – as the 32-year-old skied to eighth place in her opening super-G race yesterday, the discipline in which she was defending a crown.

“I am really happy with that. There are places where I know I need to improve and parts of the course where it gets faster and faster,” she said.

With three more events still to come, Gallagher and Smith are keen to show exactly why the visually impaired skier is a major part of British para-sport history.

“This time last year I couldn’t even brush my hair so this is massive step forward from then,” she added. “We can throw everything at it and the kitchen sink. Even if we rest tomorrow we’ll be in the gym. We’ll get good results from being relaxed and chilling out.”

Sainsbury’s is a proud long-term supporter of the British Paralympic Association and a champion of inclusive sport for all. For more information on Sainsbury’s commitment to inclusive sport visit http:// www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/