First Paralympic medals for Russia since Sochi

Para alpine skiers Varvara Voronchikhina and Aleksei Bugaev won Russia's first Paralympic medals since 2014 on Saturday by taking bronze in their respective races — the women's and men's downhill standing competition.

- BY TALES AZZONI

Russian athletes are back competing under their own flag in the Winter Paralympics at Milan-Cortina — after years of having to do so as neutral athletes because of the country's doping violations and military conflicts.

Voronchikhina raced in the discipline for visually impaired athletes and Bugaev in the discipline for athletes with impairment in one arm.

"For us, it's a really long time when we [were] without [the] flag, and I'm really glad and all my country and all my teammates, we [are] glad also," said Voronchikhina, who is expected to be competing for the gold in other races at Milan-Cortina.

Russia's national anthem could be played for gold medalists for the first time on the stage of a major global sporting event since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Ukraine's anthem did play Saturday as the nation won six medals on the first day, including three gold.