Bangor Paralympian Wins Gold For GB

A woman from Bangor, County Down, has secured Great Britain's paralympic team its first ever gold medal in the Winter Games.

Skier Kelly Gallagher came out top for ParalympicGB in the visually-impaired Super-G event in Sochi.

The 28-year-old and her guide Charlotte Evans were first on the Rosa Khutor course and secured victory with a time of one minute 28.72 seconds.

"Normally when we compete, even in big events like World Championships, there is nobody interested in what we are doing," Gallagher told the BBC.

"But here there has been a lot of hype and pressure, as well as expectation, and maybe we let some of that in. Today we just decided to ski and see what happens."

Ms Gallagher has oculocutaneous albinism; a condition that affects the pigment in her hair, skin and eyes.

She took up skiing for the first time when she was 17 and joined forces with her guide, Charlotte Evans, in 2010.

The two communicate with each other on their way down the slopes via bluetooth headsets.

Today's victory follows silver and bronze medals in the 2011 and 2013 World Championships as well as World Cup honours.

NI Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said: "Kelly is a true inspiration to all of us. With her guide Charlotte, these two women have shown us all how to achieve at the highest level. They were able to turn disappointment on Saturday into triumph on Monday.

"With other events still to come, Kelly and Charlotte may still achieve more medal success."

In a message to the gold-winning pair, Ms Ní Chuilín said: "Congratulations on your win today and the very best of luck for further success in the days ahead. Everyone across the north, and all your colleagues here in the civil service, are proud of your achievements so far and we will all be taking a great interest in the other events you are participating in over the next couple of weeks."

(IT)