Kelly Gallagher overcame anxiety and fear just getting back on snow but the Northern Ireland skier couldn’t help feeling dejected as her Paralympic journey ended without reward.

Twelve months ago a nasty crash left Gallagher in pain both physically and emotionally with a return to the slope far from a foregone conclusion.

Ever since, just getting to PyeongChang was an every-day battle but as she bowed out of her third Winter Games, the performances on the snow weren’t able to match the efforts off it.

It’s a fall from grace Gallagher had known would be tough to avoud, making history four years ago as ParalympicsGB’s first Winter Games gold medallist.

But as she watched Menna Fitzpatrick and Jennifer Kehoe match her feat in Sunday’s slalom, being beaten by the clock proved a harsh reality to take for the Bangor skier.

“I threw everything I had at that. I thought we were in with a really good chance but maybe I under-performed,” she said after finishing sixth in her Games finale.

“It just didn’t go the way that we had set the compass to. We just didn’t have enough time. When I got injured last year we weren’t even sure if I would come back.

“The goal was always to get healthy and the see if I wanted to come back to ski racing which I did.

“I really have tried, I overcame so much anxiety and fear and we’ve really tried as a pair but we are just not consistently up there.

“We’re improving but we’re just not at the top of our game at the moment and the Games came and we maybe weren’t ready but we did throw everything we had at it.”

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ParalympicsGB secured seven medals in total in PyeongChang, all of which came from Gallagher’s close teammates and fellow visually impaired athletes Menna Fitzpatrick and Millie Knight.

But for the 32-year-old this third Games adventure was about more than just silverware additions to the luggage.

Her mental battle with the sport is one that’s far from over, even coming into the Games with doubts about what she and Smith were capable of on the big stage.

“We really have done our best to get here and congratulations to the girls they have done exceptionally well and it’s great to see them back on the podium,” added Gallagher, who has oculocutaneous albinism.

“I think I would have needed a couple more weeks. In the last couple of weeks we really have been getting ourselves together.

“We’re a little bit inconsistent. There was a long time when I was down in the dumps and I was nervous and wasn’t trusting myself and that was all before Christmas.

“We just needed a couple more weeks before we could get there but I can’t be too down, I’ve been so lucky to be at the Games and to have been skiing with Gary.”

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/