History Made! Varvara Voronchikhina Wins Russia’s First Winter Paralympic Gold Since 2014

According to Ireporter Online, the 23-year-old skier completed the demanding course on the renowned Olimpia delle Tofane slope with a time of 1 minute 15.6 seconds, finishing nearly two seconds ahead of France’s Aurelie Richard, who secured the silver medal. Sweden’s Ebba Aarsjö claimed the bronze to round out the podium.

The victory represents a major milestone for Russia, marking its first Winter Paralympic gold medal under the national flag since the 2014 Winter Paralympics held in Sochi. Voronchikhina had already delivered a historic moment earlier in the Games after capturing bronze in the downhill event, ending a 12-year drought for Russia’s first Winter Paralympic medal.

The achievement sparked celebrations back home, with Russia’s Sports Minister, Mikhail Degtyarev, congratulating the skier in a public message and describing the triumph as a proud moment for the country as the Russian anthem was set to be played during the medal ceremony.

Russia’s return to the Paralympic arena has been surrounded by years of controversy. The nation was banned from the 2018 Winter Paralympics after a state-sponsored doping scandal, forcing its athletes to compete under neutral status in subsequent competitions. Additional sanctions followed the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which led to Russia and Belarus being excluded from the 2022 Winter Paralympics.

However, the International Paralympic Committee lifted its suspension in September last year, allowing a limited number of athletes to return to competition. Voronchikhina and her teammates only resumed international events in January after Russia successfully challenged a ban imposed by the International Ski Federation at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Reflecting on her earlier bronze-medal performance, Voronchikhina had spoken about the disappointment of missing the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, expressing hope that the current Games would offer a chance for redemption.

That ambition became reality on Monday as she secured gold, describing the moment as deeply emotional. The skier said seeing her country’s flag among supporters made the achievement even more meaningful, adding that the reality of winning the gold medal might take some time to fully sink in.

The two-time world champion still has several races left at the Milan-Cortina Games, providing additional opportunities to further strengthen Russia’s medal tally before the competition concludes.