Russian skier’s golden comeback blasts anthem across paralympics after 12-year silence
Historic super g triumph for Varvara Voronchikhina
Russian alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina won the women’s Super-G at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games on Monday, securing the first Paralympic gold medal of her career at age 23.
According to the French newspaper 20 Minutes, the Siberian athlete had already reached the podium earlier in the Games, taking bronze in the downhill event two days before her victory.
Her triumph marked the first time in twelve years that a Russian athlete celebrated a Paralympic or Olympic title with the country’s national flag raised and anthem played during the medal ceremony.
Russian anthem returns to the Paralympic stage
For more than a decade, Russian athletes had been unable to compete under their national symbols at the Games.
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According to reporting by 20 Minutes, restrictions followed the exposure of a state-run doping program connected to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and later intensified after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Athletes from the country were either suspended from major competitions or forced to compete under a neutral designation during international sporting events.
International Paralympic Committee lifts sanctions
The situation changed in September 2025 when the International Paralympic Committee voted to remove sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
According to 20 Minutes, the decision allowed both nations to return fully to the Paralympic Games in Milano-Cortina in 2026, including competing under their national flags and with their anthems played during medal ceremonies.
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The move restored Russia’s official presence at the Games for the first time since the sanctions period began.
Political tensions surround the decision
The reinstatement of Russia’s national symbols sparked criticism among several national delegations.
According to 20 Minutes, some countries, including Ukraine, protested the decision and chose to boycott the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games.
Despite the controversy surrounding the policy change, the medal ceremony in Cortina unfolded without visible protests from spectators.
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Emotional podium moment in Cortina
Voronchikhina finished ahead of France’s Aurélie Richard, who secured the silver medal in the Super-G after also placing second in the downhill earlier in the competition.
The Russian skier had previously traveled to the Beijing 2022 Paralympics but was unable to compete after Russian athletes were barred from participation shortly before the opening ceremony following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Standing on the podium in Cortina d'Ampezzo with her right fist raised, Voronchikhina appeared visibly emotional as the Russian anthem played during the medal ceremony, marking a symbolic moment in the Games.
Sources: 20 Minutes
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