Russian athletes have won 12 times in total eight gold, one silver and three bronze moving the team into fourth place in the medal standings

Russian cross-country skier Anastasia Bagiyan has won gold in the 20 km individual start race for visually impaired athletes at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, becoming a three-time champion at the Games in Italy.

The 24-year-old earlier won the sprint and the 10 km classical race.

This year's Games are the first Paralympics in which Russian athletes have been allowed to compete under their national flag after years of international bans and restrictions.

Earlier in the day, Russian cross-country skier Vera Voronchikhina won gold in a women's cross-country race at the 2026 Winter Paralympics.

Russian cross-country skier Ivan Golubkov also won gold in the 20 km individual start race, finishing in 51 minutes 55 seconds. The 30-year-old six-time world champion had earlier taken first place in the 10 km race.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Paralympic champions Vera Voronchikhina and Anastasia Bagiyan on their gold medals.

Russian athletes have won 12 medals in total - eight gold, one silver and three bronze - moving the team into fourth place in the medal standings.

The Russian Paralympic team was cleared to compete earlier this year after Moscow won an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, which had barred athletes from Russia and Belarus despite the International Paralympic Committee reinstating them last year.

The Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games opened on March 6 and run through March 15, with six Russian athletes competing in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding.

(RT.com)