Knight captures gold

Skiing

Winter Paralympic star Millie Knight enjoyed a gold rush in the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup speed events in Colorado.

The visually-impaired 17-year-old from Canterbury was in scintillating form on the slopes of picturesque Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen.

Consecutive gold medal finishes ensured the King’s School pupil finished top of the overall classification in the visually impaired Super Giant Slalom, ahead of GB team-mate Menna Fitzpatrick, who is guided by Knight’s former companion, Jen Kehoe.

Knight – led by local guide Brett Wild – clocked a time of 1.28.18 to win the penultimate Superg race of the series, finishing less than half a second ahead of Fitzpatrick.

Her time of 1.30.08 in the final race was more than two seconds clear of Fitzpatrick, with Sochi Winter Paralympic gold medallist Kelly Gallagher in third and American Danelle Umstead in fourth, leaving Knight top of the overall standings to win the crystal globe. In the first Downhill run, Knight flew out of the blocks to claim silver, just 0.32 behind Fitzpatrick but more than two seconds ahead of Gallagher.

She reversed the positions in race two, which Knight described as probably the hardest fought race she had ever had to do.

She flew down the hill in 1.19.70 to finish more than two seconds ahead of Fitzpatrick.

Despite the win, Knight had to settle third in the overall standings after 11 races in the Downhill, behind Umstead in silver and Fitzpatrick, also 17, who took first.

Fitzpatrick and Kehoe also topped the standings in the Giant Slalom the previous week with Knight and guide Mike Abromowitz more than three seconds back in third.

In the slalom, Knight and Abromowitz claimed another third place in the final race behind Gallagher and Umstead.