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Ukrainian Para-Biathlete Taras Rad Wins Ukraine’s First 2026 Paralympic Gold
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukrainian biathlete Taras Rad has secured the first gold medal for Ukraine at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy. Rad claimed victory in the men’s sprint sitting event, marking a historic start for the national team.
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According to reports from Suspilne Sport on March 7, Rad completed the course in 19:55.5, maintaining a clean shooting record with zero misses across two firing lines.
This victory marks Rad’s second career Paralympic gold; he previously won the 12.5 km race during the 2022 Beijing Games.
The competition saw a concentrated field of 28 athletes, including five representatives from Ukraine. Data provided by Glavcom indicates that Rad successfully defended his lead against two Chinese competitors:
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time/Gap | Shooting |
1 | Taras Rad | Ukraine | 19:55.5 | 0+0 |
2 | Liu Mengtao | China | +9.3s | 0+0 |
3 | Liu Zixu | China | +17.6s | 0+0 |
4 | Vasyl Kravchuk | Ukraine | +31.5s | 0+0 |
Other Ukrainian finishers included Oleksandr Aleksyk in 9th place, Pavlo Bal in 12th, and Hryhorii Shymko in 15th.
Ukraine has maintained a consistent podium presence in para-biathlon for over two decades. Suspilne Sport notes that the country has won biathlon medals at eight consecutive Paralympics since 1998, with at least one gold medal in the discipline at every Winter Games since 2002.
This year, Ukraine is represented by a record delegation of 35 participants, including 25 athletes and 10 guides. The team is scheduled to compete across four disciplines:
Para-biathlon
Para-cross-country skiing
Para-alpine skiing
Para-snowboarding
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The 2026 Games began amidst significant diplomatic friction. The Ukrainian delegation, along with several other nations, boycotted the official opening ceremony.
This decision followed the organizers' choice to allow Russian and Belarusian para-athletes to compete under their national symbols. Despite Ukraine’s formal request to the contrary, organizers proceeded to display the Ukrainian flag during the ceremony in the absence of the athletes.
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