'I thought I was going to be dead within two years when I was diagnosed in 2018, and here I am gearing up for a winter of snowboard racing – I feel incredibly lucky.'
An inspiring Scots dad has launched a bid to become the first snowsports athlete with MND to ever compete at the Winter Olympics.
He followed that up with 12th place at the second event in Holland last week, competing against the previous Paralympic champions from Beijing 2022. He still must earn enough points over the coming season to reach the FIS Para Snowboard World Cup series. From there, he needs a top 15 to qualify for Milan. He was diagnosed with the condition at just 30-years-old.
Davy said: “It’d be unbelievable to make it – I get goosebumps thinking about it. At this stage, it’s almost impossible to imagine myself there. The standard of competition is incredibly high, many of my fellow para athletes are full time snowboarders so I’m taking nothing for granted, but to be able to compete at this level is really encouraging. I need to get faster and tighten my technique for the next races, but feel I’m making progress every time I step in.
Despite all his fundraising, he believes qualifying for the Winter Paralympics could be his toughest challenge yet, but is determined to give it his all, not only for himself, but to raise further awareness of MND and help the cause and community.
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