Russia has won its first Winter Paralympic medals since 2014 as Varvara Voronchikhina and Aleksei Bugaev claimed bronze in the women’s and men’s downhill standing events in Cortina on Saturday morning.
Vorinchikhina, whose success means Russia will appear on an international medal table for the first time in 12 years, spoke of her pride at being able to compete under her own flag. “It’s a really long time when we were without the flag, and I’m really glad 1772893809,” she said.
“All my country and all my teammates, we [are] glad. I’m very happy because it’s [the] first medal for me. It was a bronze, but I’m really happy.”
The Russia flag has not been seen at a Paralympic Games or shown on the medal table since Sochi 2014, because of the country’s state-sponsored doping scandal and then the invasion of Ukraine.
Vorinchikhina is expected to race in all four remaining events in visually impaired Alpine Skiing – combined, slalom, giant slalom and super G. With super G and slalom her preferred events, the prospect of her winning a gold medal for Russia is a real one. Russia have sent six athletes to the Winter Paralympics after the International Paralympic Committee overturned its ban on the country last year.
Later on Saturday, the three-time gold medallist Bugaev picked up the eighth medal of his Paralympic career. “It was a difficult medal, I would say, even one of the most difficult of my career,” he said. “But I am very happy that I can represent my country again.”
The 28-year-old added: “It’s nice when you’re not deprived of anything, not restricted, not forced to not reveal yourself, like it was in Korea [2018, for example, when they combined the two colours of our flag. We’re just happy that we can compete here on equal terms. And even more so to bring home a medal so that the flag can fly.”
Initially, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), which determines participation in the Games, refused to let Russian athletes take part but this position was overturned by the court of arbitration for sport following a Russian appeal.
The Russian flag has already been flown at the Games after the delegation attended the opening ceremony in Verona on Friday night. The four athletes, dressed in red and gold jackets, were met largely by silence, although there were cheers from the delegation and Russian flags were waved in the stands.
In other news from the Alpine competition, Britain’s all-time greatest Winter Paralympian, Menna Fitzpatrick, withdrew from competition in the women’s VI downhill. The 27-year-old qualified for the Games despite sustaining a serious knee injury just three months ago and has been training on the Cortina course this week, but now intends to start her competition on Tuesday in the super G.
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