Britain's most successful Winter Paralympian Jade Etherington retires aged 23 because of lack of support from British Disabled Ski Team

Etherington won three silvers and a bronze at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics but the skier with five per cent vision in both eyes has announced her retirement

Jade Etherington and guide Caroline Powell celebrates winning bronze in the Women's Super-G - Visually Impaired (Getty Images)

Jade Etherington, Britain's most successful Winter Paralympian, has revealed she decided to retire from competitive skiing due to a lack of support from governing body the British Disabled Ski Team.

The 23-year-old, who has five per cent vision in both eyes, became the first British woman to claim a Paralympic skiing medal when she won a silver at the 2014 Games in Sochi.

But she announced she would no longer compete earlier this month, claiming a total lack of communication from BDST prompted her decision after Paralympic head coach Tony McAllister and performance director Andrew Lockerbie both left their positions after the Games.

"If there was support there - be it coach or management - then it definitely would have changed my decision," Etherington, who won three silvers and a bronze in Sochi, told BBC Sport.

Etherington in action at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games (Getty Images)

"It was very difficult after the Games. I didn't even have a phone call saying what was going to happen and didn't know my coach had left.

"For me it's about the quality of my life.

"Even though they have this funding, if the support and the structure is not there then it's not worth it - I'd rather be happy and (have) no money."

UK Sport announced in June that Para-Alpine skiing would receive £2.74million in funding for the four-year cycle to the 2018 Winter Olympics and director of performance Simon Timson gave his backing to BDST.

"We are confident the governing body are making the right decisions," he said.

PA