Meet ParalympicsGB’s 26th team member

There are 25 athletes representing Great Britain at the Winter Paralympics, alongside dozens of coaches and support staff.

But at ParalympicsGB House in the mountains of Cortina, one “very good girl” has been stealing the spotlight.

Pickle is an eight-year-old black labrador retriever guide dog.

Her human, Hester Poole, is competing in the visually impaired Para-alpine skiing events.

“She loves the mountains – she’s always really bouncy when she sees the snow,” said Poole, who has had severely limited vision since birth.

The pair began working together while being filmed for the Channel 5 series Puppy School for Guide Dogs.

Poole, now a youth ambassador for Guide Dogs for the Blind, credits Pickle with getting her confidence back and helping her live more independently.

Pickle has already starred in her own official team headshot and, in Cortina, was presented with canine-adapted kit.

“Empathetic and attuned to human emotions”, in many ways she is the perfect team-mate for an elite sporting event like the Paralympics.

She enjoys playing with her ball and was even spotted joining a game of volleyball during the team’s training camp.

While Great Britain’s athletes follow strict nutritional regimes, Pickle is more flexible, preferring “pretty much anything she can find on the floor”.

And although nobody can question her loyalty to the cause, eyebrows have been raised about Pickle’s eligibility.

Six guide dogs are accompanying athletes at the Milan-Cortina Games.

Three are with the Australian team, while Germany, Great Britain and the Czech Republic each have one.

Organisers have set up dedicated areas for guide and assistance dogs at every competition and ceremony venue.

At Beijing 2022, Austrian Carina Edlinger’s guide dog Riley joined her on the podium after she won gold in the women’s cross-country sprint.

This week, as Poole competes on the slopes alongside her human guide Ali Hall, a “chilled” Pickle will be waiting patiently at the bottom with Poole’s mum.