Paralympic cycling star, jon-allan butterworth mbe, joins gb snowsport para-snowboard roster

Four-time Paralympic medallist, Jon-Allan Butterworth, has officially joined GB Snowsport’s Para Snowsport World Class Programme following his retirement from Britain’s professional cycling programme in December 2020. Butterworth, who won three silver and one gold medal at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, will represent the country in the Para Snowboard discipline.

The 35-year-old joined British Cycling’s Para-cycling Development Programme in 2009 via Help for Heroes’ partnership with British Cycling and the British Paralympic Association, and during his cycling career amassed four world titles alongside his Paralympic medals, the first of which made him the first British ex-serviceman to win a gold medal in the Paralympic Games.

Prior to his sporting career, Butterworth was a member of the RAF and served in Afghanistan, in 2005, and in Iraq before losing his left arm below the elbow in a rocket attack in August 2007. Less than two years later, he was selected to the Para-cycling Talent Programme and, in 2011, he won gold and set a new world record in the C5 kilo at his debut UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Montichiari, Italy. In total, across 11 years of competition, Butterworth won four Paralympic medals and 10 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championship medals.

Jon-Allan Butterworth said:

“I’m so excited to join the GB Snowsport team. When I retired from professional cycling, I was always clear in my mind that I was looking for the next challenge in my sporting career. Becoming part of the British Para Snowboarding squad was exactly the opportunity I’d been looking for.

“I’m under no illusions: there’s a lot of hard work ahead. But I’ve never been afraid of getting stuck in and the belief that GB Snowsport have shown in me means I’m convinced I’ve made the right decision here.

“I can’t wait to join up with my new teammates and to get out on the snow and show what I can do.”

Pat Sharples, GB Snowsport Head Coach, said:

“We are thrilled that Jon-Allan has decided to continue his sporting career with us and will be turning his considerable sporting talents to Para Snowboarding. Switching disciplines is always a complex and challenging task, but from the work we’ve already done with Jon-Allan we are confident that he will make a big contribution to British Para Snowsport.

“Jon-Allan’s Paralympic experience, his remarkable track-record at the highest levels of sport and his competitive streak will make him a great fit for our already high-class Para Snowboard squad and across the whole GB Snowsport team.”

Next year’s Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing will mark the second Games at which Britain is represented in Paralympic Snowboarding disciplines, following the discipline’s introduction to the Paralympic programme in 2014, with Owen Pick, Ben Moore and James Barnes-Miller all having appeared for Team GB in the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.