It is touted as the cruellest position to finish in sport, but Neil Simpson was pragmatic after finishing fourth in his opening event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics.
Despite admitting to a mixed season of form, the visually impaired Para alpine skier delivered his best run on the Olympia delle Tofane course in the downhill on Saturday.
The 23-year-old’s time of 1:21.31, alongside his brother and guide Andrew Simpson, put him 2.67 seconds behind the third-placed home favourite Giacomo Bertagnolli, while Austria’s Johannes Aigner took gold in 1:16.08.
But though his only World Cup podium since 2024 came in the downhill this January, it was a result that gives Simpson plenty to build on in his upcoming events.
“It was better than the training runs. I was quite pleased with some sections, and we tidied up a few things,” he reflected.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for a podium, but it was our best performance in the downhill run so I’m pretty pleased.
“I’ll try and take what we’ve learned from today into the super-G, when some of the sections are quite similar.”
There were definite spring vibes in Cortina D’Ampezzo as Simpson pushed out on the start gate, with the sun making an appearance and threatening the course.
It provides different challenges to visually impaired skiers with factors like glare and shade as well as differing terrain all communicated by their guide.
It saw Andrew and Neil ski relatively close as they sped down the course in the event with the highest speeds.
“We tried to keep the connection, that’s something we try and work on and we managed that well today,” said Simpson.
Simpson, who was born with nystagmus which causes involuntary eye movements, is not allowed any physical contact with his guide who skis just ahead in a hi-vis vest and communicates through a Bluetooth headset.
But Simpson felt happy with the course after additional measures were put in place to keep it in shape.
“[The course] held up pretty well. There were some bumpy sections, but they have done a really good job of keeping the snow in good condition,” he explained.
“The last downhill training was cancelled to try and keep this as best as they could and I think that was a good decision.”
And while his fourth-placed finish marked one opportunity at a medal down, with four events still to come his best shot at matching his achievements at Beijing 2022 might still be ahead of him.
His chances will not get much better than when he stands in the gate for Monday’s super-G, an event he enters as defending Paralympic champion.
The 23-year-old took super-G gold almost four years ago to the day, while he has also earned Paralympic and World Championship medals in the super combined, slalom and giant slalom.
It means his favoured events are still to come out in Italy, where he also benefitted from a luxury he was not afforded at Beijing 2022: crowds.
“You only really notice the crowds at the finish, but it was nice to cross the line and hear them there,” said Simpson. “It is a big difference from Beijing. It was a really nice experience.”
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