Russian skier Ivan Golubkov won his second individual gold medal at the XIV Paralympic Winter Games in Italy on March 15.
The athlete finished first in the 20 km sitting race. Golubkov completed the distance in 51 minutes 47.3 seconds.
To date, the Russian national team has ten medals. Six of them are gold, one is silver, and three are bronze.
Ivan Golubkov is 30 years old. He competes in the LW 11.5 class (impairments of lower limbs and trunk). Throughout his sports career, Golubkov has become a six-time world champion and a nine-time World Cup winner in cross-country skiing and biathlon for athletes with disabilities.
Earlier at the 2026 Paralympics in Italy, the athlete won gold in the 10 km individual start race. Golubkov covered the distance in 24 minutes 5.8 seconds. The skier dedicated his gold medal to Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
XIV Paralympic Winter Games
The XIV Paralympic Winter Games were held in Beijing, China, from March 4 to March 13, 2022. They were the second Paralympics hosted by Beijing (following the 2008 Summer Games) and marked the first time the same city staged both the Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The event featured 564 athletes from 46 nations competing in 78 medal events across six sports, continuing the global tradition of showcasing elite athletic achievement by athletes with impairments.
Italy
Italy, located in Southern Europe, is a nation renowned for its profound historical and cultural legacy as the heart of the ancient Roman Empire and the birthplace of the Renaissance. Its rich history spans millennia, from the Etruscan civilization and the mighty Roman Republic to the influential city-states of the Middle Ages and the modern unification of the country in 1861. Today, Italy is celebrated globally for its unparalleled contributions to art, architecture, cuisine, and fashion, preserved in iconic sites from the Colosseum to the canals of Venice.
Russia
Russia is the world’s largest country by area, spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Its history is marked by the rise and fall of the Tsarist Empire, the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution which established the Soviet Union, and its re-emergence as the Russian Federation in 1991. It is renowned for its vast landscapes, iconic architecture like the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral, and profound contributions to literature, music, and ballet.
Russian national team
The Russian national football team, representing the Russian Football Union, first competed internationally as the Soviet Union national team from 1917 until 1991, winning the inaugural European Championship in 1960. Following the dissolution of the USSR, the modern Russian team was established, with its most notable achievement being a fourth-place finish at the 2008 European Championship. Due to international sanctions, the team is currently suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions.
World Cup
The FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament first held in 1930 in Uruguay. Organized by FIFA, it takes place every four years and has grown into the world’s most widely viewed sporting event, symbolizing global unity and national pride through sport.
2026 Paralympics
The 2026 Paralympics will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, as part of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games. This event continues the modern tradition of the Paralympic Games, which began in 1960, showcasing elite winter sports for athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual impairments. It will be Italy’s first time hosting the Winter Paralympics, building on the legacy of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics.
President Vladimir Putin
“President Vladimir Putin” refers to the individual, not a place or cultural site. He is the current President of Russia, having first assumed the role in 1999. His tenure has been a defining period in modern Russian history, marked by centralization of power, assertive foreign policy, and significant political and economic changes.
