THE smile was impossible to wipe from Scott Meenagh’s face after producing the best performance of his Winter Paralympic Games debut.
The Scottish Para-Nordic skier has had a tough time of it in PyeongChang but five gruelling races later and the delight was there for all to see.
Finding his groove in the men’s 15km biathlon meant the Scot shot clean on his first two rounds, sitting in the top ten at the midpoint of the race.
His clinical edge fell away as the wind picked up but crossing in a time of 58:58.1 and finishing 14th meant Meenagh couldn’t help but be thrilled, with one more race to come on Saturday.
“You couldn’t slap the smile off my face,” he said. “I’m really happy. It was on after two shoots, I really thought I was in a strong position.
“It was great, I know what I’ve got wrong today and I’m going to go and work on it but I’m really happy with that.
“I’m extremely inspired and I feel that tomorrow if I hit it with the same intent and I can push a little bit harder then there is no reason why I can’t be up there.
“I feel like I skied really well and I was in a really nice place for the first couple of shoots. The third and fourth shoots caught me out a little.
“I can’t afford to not shoot well in this field because these guys are just incredible.”
Five shots was his eventual miss tally but, with one more cross country race to come in his maiden Games, confidence is higher than ever for Meenagh.
Making history has already been at the forefront of his Games, becoming the first British Para Nordic skier to take to the Paralympic start line for 20 years.
Yet a trip to PyeongChang is more akin to the next part of the journey as opposed to the final destination for the former rower.
Meenagh lost both his legs following an explosion while serving in Afghanistan but, with this new-found knowledge of Winter Paralympic Games life, the 28-year-old is not looking back anymore.
“We’ve seen a glimpse of what can be and it’s awesome,” he added. “That’s a sight of what can be possible.
“These Games have taught me lots of lessons but they have also shown me a glimpse of the level we can be at and if we get it right on the day. We are no worse than any of these guys out here.
“We know what we are here to do and we have a lot of work to do in the next four years but I’ve seen a lot of positives here.”
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/
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