ZHANGJIAKOU, China: The 16-year-old Johannes Aigner, who comes from a family of competitive alpine skiers, bagged his second gold at the Beijing Winter Paralympics as the Ukraine team honoured their country’s fallen on Thursday.
The visually impaired Austrian teenager and his guide Matteo Fleischmann zipped across the finish line to claim their category in the men’s giant slalom.
Earlier this week they won gold in the downhill, silver in the super combined and bronze in the super-G visually impaired events.
Alpine skiing is a family affair for Aigner. His twin sister Barbara and older sister Veronica — who also have the same congenital cataract condition as their mother — will compete on Friday in the women’s giant slalom.
“Their technique is really good and hopefully you will see it tomorrow,” Aigner told reporters at the Yanqing Alpine Ski Centre outside Beijing.
Europeans also dominated the other giant slalom categories — Norway’s Jesper Pedersen triumphed in the sitting race to add a third gold medal to his collection which also includes a silver.
“The feeling to be able to be free in the mountains and not locked in a wheelchair is just amazing,” he said.
Finland’s Santeri Kiiveri blitzed the standing event, after winning a silver in the super combined earlier this week.
“I decided that now I would just enjoy and go full gas and that paid off,” he told reporters.
TEARS AND DEFIANCE
At the Zhangjiakou Athletes’ Village, Ukrainian Paralympians took time out from training and competition to call for peace.
The biathletes and cross-country skiers wept and pumped their fists in the air in defiance against Russia’s attack on their homeland during a brief ceremony.
In an act of solidarity, a 30-strong contingent of athletes and team staff raised a banner reading “peace for all” as they gathered in front of rows of flags of the 46 nations and territories competing at the Games in the Chinese capital.
Female athletes wore wreaths of sunflowers and blue and yellow ribbons — Ukraine’s colours — in their hair.
With the gold, silver and bronze medals he won this week strung around his neck, Grygorii Vovchynskyi, 33, had tears welling up in his eyes as he made an impassioned call for peace.
“I love Ukraine,” he said.
He condemned Russia’s air strike on a children’s and maternity hospital in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol which killed at least three people, including a young girl.
More than 1,200 civilians have died in that city alone, according to the mayor.
“They are bombing our children and women, I can’t believe it,” Vovchynskyi said, his voice wavering.
Competitors from Russia and key ally Belarus have been barred from the Games over Moscow’s military assault.
The Ukraine team has shown immense resilience with an impressive six gold medals and 19 podium finishes, all in cross-country skiing and biathlon.
They are third in the medals table, behind China and Canada.
International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons has witnessed the team in action.
“Their journey here is one of the most extraordinary stories ever in sport,” he said.
In wheelchair curling, Canada beat Norway, hosts China trumped Britain, Slovakia outclassed Switzerland and Sweden were victorious over the US. — AFP
