Shona Brownlee MBE (born 1979)[1] is a British skier and Royal Air Force Corporal. She won two medals at the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships, and competed at the 2022 Winter Paralympics.

Shona Brownlee
Personal information
Born1979 (age 44–45)
Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland
Alma mater
Sport
SportAlpine skiing
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals2022
World finals2021
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Alpine skiing
World Para Snow Sports Championships
Silver medal – second place 2021 Lillehammer Super-G
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Lillehammer Giant slalom

Early life

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Brownlee is from Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland.[2] She attended Carmondean Primary School and Deans Community High School. She has a bachelor's degree in music from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and a master's degree from Arizona State University.[3]

RAF career

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Bronwlee joined the Royal Air Force in 2012.[3][4] That year, she injured her ankle in training, which later developed into complex regional pain syndrome.[2] In 2018, she had a leg amputation.[3]

Brownlee has been a member of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force;[5] she plays the French horn and piano.[2] Prior to her amputation, she was unable to be part of the marching band due to her injury.[6]

Sports career

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Brownlee started skiing in Bavaria, Germany in 2018.[3] She later became part of the Armed Forces Para Snowsport Team,[5] and in 2019, she raised £50,000 for charity through the organisation.[5]

Brownlee was added to the GB Snowsport squad for the 2021–22 season.[7] As of 2021, she had won 25 medals in Europa and North American Cup, including 11 gold medals, and she was the British champion in all alpine skiing sitting category event.[3] As of December 2021, she was also the highest ranked British skier, and the ninth best in the world.[5] At the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships in Lillehammer, Norway, Brownlee came second in the women's super-G event,[4] and third in the giant slalom event.[8] She was the first Briton to win a medal at the championships.[2] In the same year, she competed at the British Para-Triathlon Championships, winning a silver medal.[1]

In February 2022, Brownlee was confirmed in the British team for the 2022 Winter Paralympics.[9][10] It was her first Paralympic Games,[9] and she was one of 14 Scottish athletes competing.[11] Brownlee came sixth in the super-G sitting event.[12] Sitting in 5th place after the super-G, she did not finish the slalom run of the super combined sitting event,[13] and came ninth in both the giant slalom sitting[14] and slalom sitting events.[15]

Honours

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In November 2021, Brownlee was named the RAF Sportswoman of the Year.[2][3] She was made an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours.[5][10]

References

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  1. ^ a b ""MUSIC HAS PLAYED A MASSIVE PART IN MY LIFE. IT'S ALMOST ALL I'VE EVER KNOWN!" – SHONA BROWNLEE". GB Snowsport. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Shona Brownlee MBE is ready to take on Paralympic Monoski". Blesma, The Limbless Veterans. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "West Lothian Winter Paralympic skier named RAF Sportswoman of the Year". Daily Record. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b "World Para Snow Sports Championships: Britain's Shona Brownlee wins Para-alpine skiing silver". BBC Sport. 16 January 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Armed Forces recognised for outstanding achievements in the New Year Honours list". Government of the United Kingdom. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  6. ^ "RAF sportsman and sportswoman 2021". Royal Air Force. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  7. ^ "British Paralympic Legends Joined By New Talent In Largest Ever British World Class Programme Para Snowsport Squad". Snow Industry News. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Winter Paralympics preview: Para alpine skiing day five". International Paralympic Committee. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Great Britain to send team of 25 athletes to Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing". The Independent. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  10. ^ a b "West Lothian Winter Paralympic Games skier going for gold in Beijing". Daily Record. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  11. ^ "14 Scots heading to the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games". Scottish Disability Sport. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Women's Super-G sitting - Results". paralympic.org. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Women's Super Combined Sitting - Results". paralympic.org. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Women's Giant Slalom Sitting - Results" (PDF). results.beijing2022.cn. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Women's Slalom Sitting - Start List" (PDF). results.beijing2022.cn. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
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