Broadstairs Paralympics athlete James Barnes-Miller was left fired up to compete in the banked slalom after mistakes cost him progression from the quarter final in snowboard cross.
The Broadstairs Para snowboarder had placed fifth fastest in the men’s snowboard cross SB-UL seeding to set him up with a credible shout at the podium in his third and final Paralympic Games.
But after finishing fourth in his quarter final to not progress, Barnes-Miller will use that frustration to fuel a medal push in the banked slalom this weekend.
“I’m raging,” he said. “I always race good when I’m angry so hopefully, I ride alright.”
A slow start led to the 36-year-old playing catch up from the off and his attempts to make up ground on the two frontrunners saw him fall halfway at a corner.
While he got up to finish his quarter final race, both momentum and medal hopes had fallen with him as he cruised over the line in fourth and failed to progress.
“That’s snowboarding, isn’t it? It’s not meant to be,” he said.
“It wasn’t the cleanest and it’s a bit of a shame really because I qualified really well (the previous day).”
Former Broadstairs College student James, known as Stubber to his friends, was born without a right hand.
At the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018, he became the first ever British snowboarder to compete in the Paralympics.
Despite not reaching the podium on his first Paralympic outing, he has since gone from strength to strength.
James became a father for the first time last November and after a brief paternity leave was back on snow in January, ahead of his third Paralympic Games.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games from March 6-15 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Winter Paralympics.
