Russia's National Anthem Returns to Paralympics After 12 Years as Voronchikhina Wins Gold

Last Updated:March 09, 2026, 17:39 IST

Russia is back. After 12 years of silence, its national anthem played at the Paralympics as Voronchikhina claimed stunning gold in Italy.

Russia’s national anthem rang out at a Paralympic Games for the first time in 12 years on Monday, when 23-year-old Para alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina won gold in the women’s standing super-G at the Winter Paralympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, ending years of suspension that had kept the Russian flag off the podium since the 2014 Sochi Games.

Voronchikhina crossed the finish line on the iconic Olimpia delle Tofane piste in one minute 15.6 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of French silver medallist Aurelie Richard, with Sweden’s Ebba Aarsjoe claiming bronze, per The BBC.

The gold arrived just two days after she took bronze in the women’s standing downhill, which had already marked Russia’s first Paralympic medal in over a decade. The super-G victory, however, was the result that triggered a ceremony many in Russia had waited years to see.

“It’s really special for me because I can see my flag," Voronchikhina said after her run. “Maybe now I can’t believe it. Maybe a little bit later, when I see my gold medal," she told reporters, as quoted by The BBC.

Russia’s return to the Paralympics under its own flag has been one of the defining storylines of the Milan-Cortina Games. The country’s athletes had competed as neutrals for years, first due to a state-sponsored doping scandal and then under further sanctions that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, The Associated Press reported.

The last time Russia’s anthem was heard at either the Olympics or Paralympics was at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games, according to The Associated Press. The Russian flag itself had not appeared on a Paralympic medal table since Sochi 2014, The Guardian reported.

Russia’s path back was not without obstacles. The International Paralympic Committee lifted its suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes in September, but ski governing body FIS refused to follow suit. Russia won an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIS in January, which finally cleared the way for the return to competition, The BBC added.

Six Russian athletes arrived at Milan-Cortina under considerable controversy. The International Paralympic Committee granted them wildcard entries, a move that prompted Ukraine and several other nations to boycott the opening ceremony on Friday, The Associated Press reported.

Voronchikhina is a two-time world champion in Para alpine skiing, including in the super-G, having claimed those titles back in 2021. She is competing at her first-ever Paralympic Games and still has multiple events ahead at Milan-Cortina, The BBC noted.

“It’s amazing. I have the big support of my family and friends and all the people in Russia," she said, per The Associated Press.

While Russia’s return has dominated much of the headlines, Ukraine responded with a strong first day of competition. The Ukrainian team, which boycotted Friday’s opening ceremony, led the overall medal table at the close of the opening day, putting in a dominant performance in the Nordic events that included a clean sweep in the men’s visually impaired biathlon sprint, The Guardian reported.

Ukrainian gold medallist Oleksandra Kononova dedicated her win to her country. “I would like to dedicate my victory to all the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian army because nowadays in Ukraine it’s difficult times," she said, as reported by The Guardian.

The contrast between the two delegations, separated by geography and by an ongoing war, has given the Milan-Cortina Games a weight that extends well beyond the competition. As Russia prepared for its anthem to play on the slopes above Cortina, Ukraine’s athletes were collecting medals in the Nordic valleys below.

With inputs from agencies

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