Russia ends 12 year wait with Paralympic bronze
Russia has won its first Paralympic medal in 12 years after skier Varvara Voronchikhina took bronze in the women’s downhill standing event at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics. It is Russia’s first Paralympic podium since Sochi 2014, ending a long drought that followed years of bans and restrictions over state backed doping and, later, the invasion of Ukraine. For several Games, Russian athletes were either excluded entirely or only allowed to compete as neutrals without their flag or anthem. Voronchikhina, a visually impaired para alpine skier, produced a strong run on the downhill course in Cortina d’Ampezzo to secure third place and write her name into the country’s Paralympic history. Her medal comes as Russian athletes return to the Paralympics under their own flag after the International Paralympic Committee voted to lift the blanket ban but impose quota limits. […]