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Shona Brownlee says being a sponge to her surroundings in Beijing is the perfect catalyst for launching an assault on the 2026 Paralympic podium.
The sitting skier, from Livingstone, brought an end to her memorable Paralympic debut on Saturday with a battling ninth-place finish in the slalom.
Brownlee, 41, fell to the Yanqing snow on her first run but bravely fought back to cross the line and finish her third race at the Games behind big-hitters Anna-Lena Forster, Zhang Wenjing and Liu Sitong.
The Scot only started skiing competitively two years ago and believes immersing herself in the exploits of those three heavyweights can accelerate her rapid development.
Determination. Resilience. Unwavering.
Shona Brownlee is a tremendous sporting example to all young athletes. NEVER. GIVE. UP. 👏#C4WinterParalympics | #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/TTxSXK6btb
— C4 Paralympics (@C4Paralympics) March 12, 2022
“It’s all about taking the experience I’ve got from this week,” she said.
“Being around all these other people and actually being able to watch them and the things they can do is massive – when I train and compete alongside them, you can learn a lot.
“At the end of a race you see the top guys coming down and seeing them doing certain things, and think: ‘I could do this’, so there are always things to learn.
“It’s just about taking that experience and putting it into practice now.
“I went down at the fourth gate on my first run so felt a bit more pressure – but I wanted to get up and get another Paralympic finish under my belt.
“It wasn’t the prettiest race but I got it done, came down and got the experience.”
Brownlee claimed two ninths and a sixth in Beijing as she delivered a solid showing on debut and learned valuable lessons for the future.
The Royal Air Force aircraftwoman flies out to Colorado just four days after landing back in the UK where she will compete in an Armed Forces para snowsport event followed by the US Paralympic National Championships.
At 42, Brownlee represents one of the senior sitting skiers on the circuit but is determined to prove that age is just a number heading into the next Games cycle.
She’s gunning to complete an alpine Italian Job at Milan-Cortina 2026 and says having her family there to see it would make it even more special.
6th place on her Paralympics debut 👏
Great effort from 🇬🇧 Shona Brownlee in the women’s sitting Super-G. #C4WinterParalympics | #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/ZdJejZ7wmc
— C4 Paralympics (@C4Paralympics) March 6, 2022
“I might be at the upper end of the age bracket at the minute but I feel like I’m just getting stated,” added Brownlee, one of over 1,000 athletes able to train full-time, access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support thanks to vital National Lottery funding.
“This isn’t the end for me – this is just the beginning of my journey.
“Hopefully there won’t be the same Covid restrictions then – it will be good for my family and friends to experience this as well.”
No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes including grassroots and elite sport. Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtag: #TNLAthletes
