Kelly Gallagher (alpine skier)
Encyclopedia
Kelly Gallagher is a British skier
and the first athlete from Northern Ireland
to compete in the Winter Paralympics. She is a graduate in mathematics from the University of Bath
.
in February 2010. Kelly is funded by the Sport Northern Ireland Athlete Support Programme and supported by the Sports Institute for Northern Ireland and is also backed by Disability Sports NI.
and became the first athlete from Northern Ireland to compete in the Winter Paralympics. At the Games she contested the giant slalom and slalom events for visually impaired athletes. She finished sixth in the slalom but achieved the British team's highest finish, missing out on a medal by a single place and 3.36 seconds in the giant slalom.
in Sochi
and selected 19-year-old Charlotte Evans from Medway
. Evans had been out of the sport after she snapped a cruciate ligament in 2009 but took up the role having become a qualified coach.
In January 2011 Gallagher became the first British athlete to win a medal at the IPC
World Championships. Competing with Evans the pair won the silver medal in the slalom and bronze in the giant slalom at the event held in Sestriere
only five weeks after they started working together. The pairing also won a gold medal in slalom at the 2011 Europa Cup Finals.
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
and the first athlete from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to compete in the Winter Paralympics. She is a graduate in mathematics from the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
.
Pre-Paralympics
Gallagher is visually impared and competes with a sighted guide. At the 2009 Winter Games New Zealand Gallagher, competing with guide Claire Robb, won gold in her first ever international race, the giant slalom. She selected for the British team at the 2010 Winter Paralympics2010 Winter Paralympics
The 2010 Winter Paralympics, officially the X Paralympic Winter Games, or the 10th Winter Paralympics, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada from March 12 to 21, 2010. The Opening Ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Closing Ceremony in Whistler...
in February 2010. Kelly is funded by the Sport Northern Ireland Athlete Support Programme and supported by the Sports Institute for Northern Ireland and is also backed by Disability Sports NI.
Paralympics
Gallagher was one of seven skiers for Great Britain at the 2010 Winter ParalympicsGreat Britain at the 2010 Winter Paralympics
Great Britain competed at the 2010 Winter Paralympics held in Vancouver, Canada. The team was made up of athletes from the whole United Kingdom; athletes from Northern Ireland, who may elect to hold Irish citizenship under the pre-1999 article 2 of the Irish constitution, are able to be selected to...
and became the first athlete from Northern Ireland to compete in the Winter Paralympics. At the Games she contested the giant slalom and slalom events for visually impaired athletes. She finished sixth in the slalom but achieved the British team's highest finish, missing out on a medal by a single place and 3.36 seconds in the giant slalom.
Post-Paralympics
Following the Paralympics Gallagher sought a new sighted guide to work with her through to the 2014 Winter Paralympics2014 Winter Paralympics
The 2014 Winter Paralympics, officially known as the XI Paralympic Winter Games, will be held from March 7 to March 16, 2014 in Sochi, Russia...
in Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
and selected 19-year-old Charlotte Evans from Medway
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
. Evans had been out of the sport after she snapped a cruciate ligament in 2009 but took up the role having become a qualified coach.
In January 2011 Gallagher became the first British athlete to win a medal at the IPC
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...
World Championships. Competing with Evans the pair won the silver medal in the slalom and bronze in the giant slalom at the event held in Sestriere
Sestriere
Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin....
only five weeks after they started working together. The pairing also won a gold medal in slalom at the 2011 Europa Cup Finals.