Roman Petushkov wins sixth gold as Russia sweep relays

"My congratulations to all the Russian teams and fans. This gold medal is for them. I'm so calm about medals because sport is my profession."

Sit-skier Roman Petushkov won a remarkable sixth gold medal of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games on Saturday (15 March), as Russia comfortably won the 4x2.5km cross-country skiing open relay.

Petushkov and teammates Vladislay Lekomtcev, Grigory Murygin and Rushan Minnegulov combined to beat Ukraine by 55.1 seconds, finishing the course in 24:22.8. Ukraine’s team (25:17.9) consisted of Olena Iurkovska, Ihor Reptyukh, Iurii Utkin and Vitaliy Lukyanenko.

"My congratulations to all the Russian teams and fans. This gold medal is for them,” Petushkov said. "I'm so calm about medals because sport is my profession."

France’s two-man team (25:30.3) of Benjamin Daviet and Thomas Clarion took the bronze to win their country’s first Paralympic relay medal since the Nagano 1998 Games, where they also won bronze.

In the mixed relay, just when it seemed Russia might not even finish on the podium, Nikolay Polukhin stormed home in the final leg of the race to complete the course in 27:35.6 and snag the gold for the host nation with teammates Alena Kaufman, Elena Remizova and Svetlana Konovalova.

The Russians were in eighth place after the second leg but gradually moved forward in the race and surpassed Sweden and Norway in the final leg to top the podium.

“We have most responsibility in the relay because we race for the whole team and country,” Polukhin said. “At the start, we must not go too fast, as we could get tired in the middle of the race. We must also not go too slowly, as we could lose time.

“But our coaches had a good plan and it worked.”

Sweden (27:44.3), with 19-year-old Zebastian Modin and 42-year-old Helen Ripa each skiing two legs of the race, finished second to take the silver.

Norway (27:53.6) won their second medal of the Sochi 2014 Paralympics, taking bronze in the mixed relay with the team of Mariann Marthinsen, Nils-Erik Ulset and Eirik Bye.

"We knew if we had an optimal race it would be possible to take a medal,” Ulset said. "I wasn't able to overtake the Swedes as much as I was hoping to, but I gained some seconds on the Russians which was important, and also some seconds on the Ukrainians, so we were able to get a medal."

For the first time at a major international competition since the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics, Ukraine (28:09.1) failed to make the podium in the event, finishing fourth.