Broadstairs' James Barnes-Miller rues missed opportunity to medal at Winter Paralympics after fifth place in snowboard cross

James Barnes-Miller fears he blew his one and only shot at a Paralympic medal after slipping to a fifth-place finish in Beijing.

The Tunbridge Wells-born, Broadstairs-based snowboard star, who competes in the SB-UL class for athletes with upper limb impairments, was undone by Chinese domination in his favoured snowboard cross event as the home favourites grabbed all three spots on the podium.

Barnes-Miller won his small final at Genting Snow Park but the big hitters in Zhangjiakou – who beat him in the semi-finals after capitalising on a fall – were a cut above, duelling it out in the main event as Ji Lijia reigned supreme.

Barnes-Miller had come to the Games with genuine medal aspirations and admits it’s back to the drawing board after failing to fire.

The 32-year-old, who finished seventh at PyeongChang 2018, said: “I feel like that was my chance to get a medal. But hey-ho.

“I felt I was riding well after not riding great yesterday, but today I was riding really well and then getting taken out is just gutting.

“I’ll have a day off tomorrow, relax, take my mind off it and just get focused in again."

Barnes-Miller came to the Games off the back of a brilliant World Championships in Lillehammer where he claimed three medals in the snowboard cross, banked slalom and team events.

He was also crowned Crystal Globe champion in 2020 but was unable to convert that form onto the big Paralympic stage.

Barnes-Miller now turns his attention to the banked slalom event on Saturday, where he finished 10th in PyeongChang and admits he sometimes struggles for pace.

He knows grit and resilience are part and parcel of being a snowboarder and hopes digging deep when it matters can help him recover.

“It does take a lot, especially when you