Kazakhstan wins 1st medal at Winter Paralympic Games in Italy
Kazakh para-cross-country skier competed in the final of the sitting sprint event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy, Qazinform News Agency cites Sports.kz.
Six athletes took part in the final. Khamitov finished with a time of 2:29.9 to claim the bronze medal, bringing Kazakhstan its first medal of the Paralympic Games in Italy.
China’s Zixu Liu won the gold with a time of 2:28.9, while Brazil’s Cristian Westemaier Ribera took silver in 2:29.6.
Earlier, Khamitov won his semifinal heat with a time of 2:38.1 to advance to the final. In qualification, the Kazakh athlete placed sixth.
Recall that the 2026 Paralympics commenced on March 7, where Kazakhstani athletes recorded the following results in the Biathlon Sprint: Yerbol Khamitov finished 8th, Alexandr Gerlits 11th, Sergey Ussoltsev 18th, and Yuriy Berezin 25th.
Kazakhstan is represented at the 2026 Winter Paralympics by seven athletes competing across two disciplines: biathlon and cross-country skiing. The delegation features a significant age range, from a 17-year-old debutant to a 51-year-old veteran, and includes highly decorated competitors such as a Paralympic bronze medalist, a World Champion, and a World Cup winner.
