Pathway to Gold

Poppy Watton a 13-year-old visually impaired girl from Donaghcloney and a Banbridge High school pupil, has for the third consecutive year become the Northern Ireland Senior school girl ski Champion at the Ski Club of Northern Ireland. Poppy has been skiing since she was four shortly after her visually impaired diagnosis. Shortly after this RNIB contacted the family to see if there was anything Poppy wanted to learn, and they would pay for it. Poppy informed her dad that she wanted to go to the Olympics to get a gold medal. This at the time was strange as no one in the family skied. At her first major competition The Irish international championships in 2019 she came home with a bronze medal. Since then, Poppy has continued her dream doing her best over lockdown to keep herself fit. In October 2024, Poppy received an invitation to attend the Paralympic Potential event at Manchester's Chill Factor. The first of its kind for winter sports. The event hosted by Paralympic GB development team and sponsored by Arnold Clarke. The event was an enormous success and an amazing experience with everyone showing up and trying out a winter sport. Also, there was Olympic Champions and world down hill ski Champion to give expert advice, Poppy was delighted to meet both Menna Fitzpatrick and Neil Simpson.A few weeks later, Paralympic GB coach Blake Williams contacted her with training advice. It was recommended that she spend additional time on the snow and slopes; as a result, she has also joined the Ski Club of Ireland in Dublin this year. Where she has shown her true commitment to her sport with a 6am start every Sunday to attend training and race days in Dublin. Where she got best newcomer. This summer, Poppy has been invited by Blake Williams to attend the Arnold Clarke Parallel Ski Series, a five-race competition held at various venues in England. Over the next 5 months. Blake Williams has been part of the Paralympic Para Alpine Programme and Development since 2020, coaching at the Beijing Paralympics as well as the Para Alpine World Championships in Norway and Spain. A BASI Trainer for over 10 years, Blake brings more than 15 years of international coaching and instructing experience. Blake has been instrumental in Poppy’s training. Race 1 has taken place over the weekend at Chill factor in Manchester where Poppy managed a silver medal in her category.