James Barnes-Miller: Ready to savour final Paralympic ride at Milano-Cortina 2026

The ParalympicsGB athlete headed into competition with renewed confidence after overcoming injury setbacks and balancing a major life change, becoming a father, in the months leading up to the Games.

The 36-year-old’s Games campaign has already got underway, and despite missing out a podium in the snowboard cross, his attention has turned to the banked slalom later in the week.

After ten years on the international circuit, Barnes-Miller says his focus has shifted from results to appreciation.

James said: “I know it’s my last Games, so I just want to enjoy it.

“I want to be riding well, having fun and taking it all in with my friends and family. If I’m enjoying it, hopefully the results will come.”

The ParalympicsGB rider entered Milano-Cortina with a different outlook on competition, having recently become a father.

The life change has reshaped how he approaches training and racing, bringing a new perspective to the final months of his sporting career.

“It’s definitely changed things,

“Before, everything was planned around training, sleep here, eat here, train here. Now it’s sleep when I can, eat when I can and train when I can.”

Fatherhood will also make this Paralympics particularly meaningful when he arrives at the finish line to see his family waiting.

James said: “I’m really looking forward to having my wife there at the bottom of the course.

“This time my family can travel and be there at the finish line, which is going to be really special.”

Two seasons ago Barnes-Miller suffered a broken back that forced him to miss an entire campaign.

When he returned the following winter, he competed through pain to secure qualification for Milano-Cortina before committing to a full rehabilitation programme.

Working with medical staff, physiotherapists and strength coaches over the summer helped restore balance and eliminate the pain that had been limiting his performance.

His route to the Paralympics was far from conventional. A lifelong skateboarder, he only discovered snowboarding in his late teens.

“I’d always been a skateboarder and didn’t start snowboarding until I was about 18 or 19,” he said.

“I went on a trip, loved it and just fell in love with it. There’s definitely crossover from skateboarding with balance and board control.”

Initially snowboarding was simply a hobby, something he enjoyed on annual trips with friends rather than a serious sporting pursuit.

That changed after a chance meeting with members of the British para-snowboard team at an indoor slope in the Netherlands.

“They asked if I fancied coming along to a session next time with their coach.

“He said he thought I could make the Paralympics. I was like, ‘No way.’ But that’s where it all started.”

What followed was several years of relentless work to fund a career in a sport that requires regular international travel and specialist equipment.

Each evening, he and his mother searched online for grants and funding opportunities to help keep his dream alive.

That’s where SportsAid came in, backing James to relieve some of the financial pressure during the early stages of his journey.

For Barnes-Miller, that belief from outside the sport proved invaluable.

“Having people back you at the start makes a huge difference,” he said.

“To know that people believe in what you’re doing gives you that extra push to keep going.

“We were on the internet every night looking for bursaries and grants.

“You’ve got rent to pay, food to buy, and then on top of that you’ve got travel, accommodation, lift passes and equipment.”

“Without that early support I wouldn’t have had a career in the sport.”

The Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics 2026 run from 6–15 March 2026.

SportsAid has 12 alumni competing across the Games, continuing the charity’s long-standing support of emerging British athletes.

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Many of today’s Olympians and Paralympians relied on this support to reach the top.

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