Ukrainian athletes showed resilience in the face of the turmoil engulfing their war-torn homeland Saturday, racing to the top of the medal table on day one of the Beijing Winter Paralympics with an impressive haul of seven.
With more than 1.2 million of their fellow citizens now refugees and fears of a food crisis mounting, the Ukrainian Paralympians on the slopes in Zhangjiakou dug deep.
The team claimed three golds, three silver and a bronze in the biathlon events, just days after an arrival in the capital their top official had dubbed a “miracle” following an arduous journey.
Host country China, meanwhile, grabbed eight medals Saturday, including two gold.
Ukraine made a clean sweep in the men’s vision-impaired biathlon race, with Vitalii Lukianenko, 43, adding a seventh Paralympic gold to his collection and 25-year-olds Oleksandr Kazik and Dmytro Suiarko claiming silver and bronze, respectively.