Para alpine skiing's Simpson brothers fired up for Milano Cortina 2026
Neil Simpson and his brother Andrew reflect on winning Great Britain's only gold medal at the Beijing 2022 Paralympics and how they are preparing for Milano Cortina 2026 09 May 2025
Teen sensation Neil Simpson and his guide and brother Andrew had a fairytale Paralympic Winter Games debut at Beijing 2022, winning Para alpine skiing gold for Great Britain.
Three years on, reliving their victory in the men’s Super-G VI event, Neil recalled feeling unusually relaxed at the start gate – thanks to his big brother calming him down.
“Usually I get pretty nervous,” Neil said.
“We had a really good plan put together. Andrew was going to go out of the gate earlier than usual because it was going on to a longer flat. And then (we) just skied as cleanly as we could.”
Neil Simpson makes history with Beijing 2022 gold medal
Skiing to the record books
His early start was tactical because on the flat section, skiers with vision impairment can be affected by a slipstream from their guide and then gain ground too quickly, Andrew explained.
“There was a bumpy section as you went on to the steeper section of the course... it was quite rough but thankfully both of us managed to stay on our feet,” Andrew said.
After they crossed the finish line at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre, there was disbelief and a nervous wait for all remaining competitors to take their turns.
“We both thought it was a good run. And then it was maybe only like a few seconds later... Andrew checked the board, and he went: ‘Well. We're into first,’” said Neil, who was only 19 at the time.
“I just didn't really know how to react so we just kind of laughed. That's better than we were expecting.”
Unknowingly, the brothers had skied into the record books, winning Great Britain's third-ever Winter Paralympic gold and joining the ranks of Para alpine skiers Kelly Gallagher and Menna Fitzpatrick and their guides Charlotte Evans and Jennifer Kehoe.
A day later, the Simpson brothers earned a bronze in the men's Super-Combined.
The pinch yourself moments continued after the games.
Neil and Andrew were awarded Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday honours. In matching kilts, they received their medals from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle.
They were also invited to the Royal Box at the Wimbledon Championships in 2022.
Getting race-ready
Looking ahead to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, Neil reflected on his recent personal growth. He has learned how to better handle competition nerves.
“I think when I was getting ready for Beijing... it took a lot for me to get into the right mindset for the race. I just got so nervous, so I'd be so anxious I'd be sort of shaking even into the start gate,” he said.
“I've got a few techniques that are employed to calm myself down.”
The Scottish siblings have also baulked up a little since Beijing.
Gym sessions have helped Neil add five or six kilograms of muscle, which he hopes will improve speed.
The brothers are not focused on specific results at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in the Italian Alps – just doing their best.
“It’s something we have been doing for quite a while now, disassociating ourselves from the results and just focusing on how well we are skiing,” Andrew said.
Neil characterised his recent season as fairly inconsistent, finishing four out of nine races and clocking a win in the Giant Slalom with his other guide Rob Poth at the World Cup at Courchevel, France.
Poth began guiding Neil when Andrew broke his leg a year after Beijing. Andrew guides him for the speed events, which are super-G and downhill.
“Although we didn’t get a huge amount of competition this year, we did get a fairly good amount of training in,” Andrew said. “We do just need to spend a bit more time getting in that start gate again, just getting back to race-ready.”
On the same page
Neil, who was born with an eye condition called Nystagmus, started skiing at around age five on the dry slopes at Aberdeen.
It’s an advantage to have his brother as a sighted guide because they know each other so well that they can communicate without words, the first-year university engineering student said.
“You know how each other responds in different situations. You might not even need to communicate that you are feeling in a certain way,” he said.
“I'd say I need a lot of calming down sometimes. Andrew needs to be hyped up... Andrew helps distract me until we're sort of just into the start gate and then I'll be sort of trying to at the same time hype him up.”
Andrew said being teammates and family meant he and Neil could always be candid with each other.
“Nobody is afraid to say anything... we are both always on the same page,” he said.
Teammate and family
Over the summer months, Neil and Andrew will head to Les Deux Alpes in France for a couple of weeks of “back to basics” training camps in June and July.
Then it’s off to Chile in August and September for some southern hemisphere “speed-focused” training.
Neil hopes to compete in all five Para alpine skiing disciplines at the 2026 Winter Paralympics – downhill, super-G, alpine combined, giant slalom and slalom with Poth and his brother splitting the guiding duties.
“There won’t be any backing off,” Neil said.
Check out Great Britain’s top moments from the Paralympic Winter Games
Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games
Milano Cortina 2026, which takes place from 6-15 March 2026, is set to be the most beautiful Paralympic Winter Games yet. Ticket prices start at EUR 10 for children under 14, with approximately 89 per cent of the tickets available for EUR 35 or less. Specially-priced Early Bird tickets are available until 6 May 2025.
For more information, please visit tickets.milanocortina2026.org
