Jade & Caroline prepared to risk all in gold hunt

Jade Etherington and Caroline Powell are prepared to sacrifice a fourth Winter Paralympics medal to go for an elusive gold after seeing slalom success slip through their fingers on Wednesday.

Visually-impaired skier Etherington and guide Powell claimed their third medal from as many events on their Games debut, but could not hide their intense frustration at having to settle for silver.

The pair were in pole position after the first run, but Russia's Aleksandra Frantceva turned around a 0.55 seconds deficit on the second to win by 0.65secs.

"We were aiming for the gold and we didn't get it," Etherington said.

And now the Britons are willing to risk everything in pursuit of revenge.

They are one of only three pairs left in the super combined, which will be completed on Friday with the super-G stage. Just finishing would guarantee another medal, but, comfortably in second, they are determined to go for broke and attempt to make up the 3.12s on Frantceva.

Taking it easy is not an option.

"It's a fight between me and Frantceva again, so we're just going to have to go for it," Etherington said.

"It's one run, you are not going to do it again. Bring on the day off tomorrow and we'll be ready for the super-G on Friday.

"Frantceva and I both started on the circuit at the same time, six years ago, so we've constantly had that battle.

"She used to beat me every single race and she was the one I would look up to.

Now sometimes I beat her and sometimes I don't. It's good to have rivalry - and I've dragged Caroline into the fight."

No Briton has ever won four medals at one Winter Paralympics. But, with Wednesday's medal following their silver in the downhill and bronze in the super-G, that achievement is now within Etherington's and Powell's grasp.

It would be a remarkable feat for the debutants given they only met last April and have only been skiing together since August.

Another trip to their podium took Great Britain's medal tally to four, doubling UK Sport's target, but the pair's bitter disappointment with Wednesday's result was etched on their faces.

It was a sign of how much their ambitions have changed over the course of the Games.

"I know we can work really well together, I know we can do it," Etherington said.

They were the first pair out for the opening run, but, being fastest, went last for the second and were third quickest, but still managed to hold off Slovakia's Henrieta Farkasova, the bronze medallist, by more than a second.

Powell said: "The first run and second run were very different. The first run we started right at the front and got the best piste we could. The visibility was really good as well.

"On the second run visibility was not so good, it was a bumpier course because we were going down seventh so it's been raced on. We did well, but we didn't do well enough."