Maksym Yarovyi

Maksym Yarovyi will forever cherish the moment he won his first Winter Paralympic title. The Ukrainian ended first in the men’s cross-country long distance sitting at PyeongChang 2018, his second Games.

He went on to claim bronze in the cross-country middle distance to round off his most successful Paralympics to date.

Since debuting in 2011, Yarovyi has risen through the ranks of the men’s sitting in both cross-country skiing and biathlon.

Until 2018, his most prolific season had been the 2016-17, when he won quadruple gold in the men’s cross-country sprint, middle and long distance, and the biathlon sprint sitting at the World Championships in Finsterau, Germany.

He also won the overall cross-country World Cup title.

Yarovyi’s talent was spotted by coaches at a rehabilitation centre. He had originally been pegged to be a swimmer, but as the pool was too far from his house to train he decided to give Nordic skiing a go.

His Paralympic debut at Sochi 2014 saw him reach the podium three times, powering to a trio of silver medals. Just a year later, at his first World Championships he converted those into two golds.

His career achievements so far have bought him wide recognition. He was named among the 2014 best athletes of Mykolayiv region of Ukraine in the 'Strong Spirit' nomination category.

Yarovyi always says when he is “on the snow I am free from everything: troubles, worries and negative moments.” But when he is not training or competing, he enjoys playing computer games, travelling, watching movies, reading books and listening to music.