Owen Pick vows to return to Winter Paralympics scene in Beijing

PyeongChang medal disappointment fuels snowboarders desire

Owen Pick wants nothing more than to forget all about his performances at his maiden Winter Paralympic Games.

What started out as a dream in PyeongChang turned into anything but, failing to reach the podium in either the snowboard cross or Friday’s banked slalom where a medal was a strong possibility.

To call it a nightmare would exaggerate a week in which the Barton Mills-based snowboarder carried the ParalympicsGB flag at the opening ceremony.

But with this ninth-place finish backing up the round of 16 performance in the snowboard cross, it was a case of opportunity lost for Pick in South Korea.

“This was a tough course in tough conditions, it’s hard to work out what happened,” said Pick.

“It’s annoying. You train for such a long time and I came here having done so well throughout the season, but these two competitions haven’t been mine.

“I don’t really need to pick myself up, it’s over now. I’ll rest for a couple of days, go home and get into the summer and just forget about it.

“I’ll try and go into next season with a fresh mind.

“I don’t know what’s coming up but we’ll go into a new training programme, try to get some more guys involved and see where that takes us.”

For Pick, the focus now rapidly shifts to what is ahead as opposed to what has gone before.

Though when it comes to whether or not to begin preparations for the next Games in Beijing 2022, the 26-year-old already knows in himself what the answer will be.

“I’ll definitely go again for sure. I’m glad we’ve shown Britain we can do this, I’m just sad we couldn’t do better,” said Pick.

“I’ll get over it. I’m hard on myself but I set myself a challenge. You’re told you can’t do certain things because of your injury and I want to prove them wrong.

“I haven’t got a choice whether I continue. I can’t leave it. I’m one of those people who sets themselves a goal and I haven’t achieved that goal. I’ll be back.”

*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 www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/