Russia win first Paralympic gold since 2014 as Voronchikhina takes super G
Para-alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina has won Russia’s first Paralympic gold medal since 2014 by securing victory in the standing super G on Monday.
The 23-year-old crossed the finish line in one minute 15.6 seconds on the iconic Olimpia delle Tofane piste.
She finished almost two seconds clear of French silver medallist Aurelie Richard, while Sweden’s Ebba Aarsjoe claimed bronze.
This triumphant run comes just two days after the two-time world champion secured a standing downhill bronze to claim her nation’s first medal of the Games.
Russian flag returns to the podium
These Games mark the first appearance of the Russian flag at a Paralympics since the nation hosted the Sochi event 12 years ago.
Russia and its athletes were previously banned following a massive state-sponsored doping scandal.
Further sporting sanctions were subsequently imposed following the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The national anthem will now be played during the victory ceremony once all daily Para-alpine events conclude.
Late clearance for competition
The newly crowned Paralympic champion and her team-mates only returned to international skiing competition this January.
This followed a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the international governing body, FIS.
FIS had initially refused to lift its ban on competitors from Russia and Belarus despite the International Paralympic Committee ending its own suspension last September.
The initial ban was implemented on the eve of the Winter Paralympics four years ago before being softened to allow neutral participation.
Competing at her debut Games, the lightning-fast skier still has four additional opportunities to secure further medals.
