British Paralympic champion Neil Simpson taking distinctive path to extra glory in Milano Cortina
Nearly four years on from claiming a stunning Super G gold in Beijing alongside his guide and brother Andrew, the visually impaired 23-year-old heads to Milano Cortina in March
Two heads are better than one, but Neil Simpson will have the luxury of three as he bids for yet more Winter Paralympic glory on the picturesque slopes of northern Italy.
Nearly four years on from claiming a stunning Super G gold in Beijing alongside his guide and brother Andrew, the visually impaired 23-year-old heads to Milano Cortina in March flanked by two support acts after a severe injury to his sibling during a “roller coaster” past few years.
Whilst training in Canada, Andrew suffered a broken leg after his skis transitioned between natural and man-made snow, ruling him out of the 2023 World Championships in the northern Spanish city of Lleida.
Rob Poth filled the ensuing void as Banchory skier Simpson added World Championship Super G gold to his already impressive CV.
With Andrew regaining full fitness in late 2023, Simpson has opted to retain the services of both his brother – for Super G and downhill – and Poth – for slalom and giant slalom – and he believes that working as a trio has pushed them all to new heights.
“We’ve got a really close-knit group between the three of us which I find really helpful,” he said. “When I race and train with Andrew, Rob is really supportive and vice versa. It has worked out well, and it has elevated the level that we are all at across the board.
“I’m delighted that Andrew is back to full strength too. He’s been working really hard in the gym, he’s been very deliberate with how he’s gone about his comeback, and things have paid off. I’m really looking forward to getting in behind him and racing in Super G and downhill again.
“It wasn’t ideal the two disciplines [Super G and downhill] we do together at the 2025 World Championships were cancelled due to the weather, but we’ve still managed to train a lot over the summer.”
With the relationship between skier and guide, and the need for effective communication between the two incredibly important, Simpson has benefited from having a similar approach with both Andrew and Poth.
“Building that relationship up with Rob to what I had with Andrew was important,” he continued. “Fortunately, Rob and I decided on a system that’s very similar to the one I have with Andrew.
“There are obviously slight tweaks with how Rob would like me to communicate so he can pick me up on the headsets. But it’s centred around how I like it and we interact on the slopes in a very similar way, which makes it easier for transitioning between the two.”
As defending Super G champion, Simpson, who also won bronze at the 2022 Games in super combined, will arrive at the Olimpia delle Tofane slope in the Dolomites with a target on his back, but insists he’s got what it takes to handle the pressure.
“From my side with regards to the Games, our targets are not related to any outcome-based goals – like medals or certain positions,” he added. “They are more to do with our performances since, ultimately, we can’t control the forces of everyone else.
“As long as we perform to our best on the day, then we know we’ve done well, and we’ll just see where we end up on the day of each competition. We’ll be taking a very similar approach to how we raced in Beijing.”
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