Ukrainian biathlete Anastasiia Laletina was forced to pull out of the women’s sitting middle distance event at the Beijing Winter Paralympics on Tuesday after her father was captured by Russian forces, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee.
“Her father is a soldier in the Ukrainian army and [was taken] prisoner by Russian soldiers. They beat him,” said Ukrainian Paralympic team spokeswoman Nataliia Harach, to AFP News.
The spokeswoman told Reuters they had no further details on his capture.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month, which Moscow describes as a “special operation” to disarm the country, prompted the International Paralympic Committee to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Games.
Belarus has been a key staging area for Russian troops.
The spokeswoman said that the 19-year-old Laletina was still in Zhangjiakou, China — the venue for the cross-country skiing and biathlon events — and will fly out to Poland with the rest of contingent at the end of the Games.
Despite the initial uncertainty around their participation, Ukraine continued to collect medals at the Games on Wednesday by winning a silver and bronze in cross-country skiing. They are third in the table, where the ranking is based on gold medals won, behind hosts China and Canada.
WATCH | Russian, Belarusian athletes barred from Beijing Paralympics:
Russian, Belarusian athletes banned from Winter Paralympics
Organizers of the Winter Paralympics have reversed course and expelled athletes from Russia and Belarus. The about-face came less than 24 hours after the International Paralympic Committee announced it would allow Russians and Belarusians to compete, but only as neutral athletes. 3:57
Canada’s Mark Arendz struck gold in the men’s standing 10-kilometre biathlon race at the Beijing Paralympics on Tuesday in China.
The Hartsville, P.E.I., native crossed the finish line with a time of 31 minutes 45.2 seconds.
Grygorii Vovchynskyi of Ukraine grabbed silver, finishing in 32:18.0, while Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Gerlits claimed bronze in 33:06.5.
The podium finish gives the 32-year-old Arendz his 10th career Paralympic medal, having already won bronze earlier in these Games in the standing biathlon sprint event. It’s also his second career gold.
🥇GOLD for <a href=”https://twitter.com/markarendz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@markarendz</a> in the 10km Para Biathlon <a href=”https://twitter.com/NordiqCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@NordiqCanada</a> <a href=”https://t.co/1SApzzFuq6″>pic.twitter.com/1SApzzFuq6</a>
Arendz was coming off a fourth-place finish in the standing 20km classical technique cross-country event, ending a medal streak that saw him medal in the standing biathlon sprint just days ago, and in all six events he competed in at Pyeongchang 2018.
It was the first time he had missed the podium since the 10km cross-country event at Sochi 2014.
YANQING, Beijing, March 6 (Xinhua) — The Alpine skiing super combined events, originally scheduled for Tuesday, will be held one day in advance on Monday, the organizers announced.
The re-arrangement of the events was “due to high temperatures and high risk of snow melting,” according to a media communication released on Sunday.
In the new schedule, the super-G games of the super combined will compete between 9:30 to 12:00 (Beijing time) on Monday, and the slalom competitions will be played from 13:45-14:45.
The organizers of the Beijing Winter Paralympics told Xinhua on Sunday that they were well-prepared for the potential weather problems, in order to present a simple, safe and splendid Winter Paralympics. ■
(Collinda Joseph of Stittsville will represent Canada in Wheelchair Curling at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, China. Photo: Accessibility Standards Canada/Stittsville Central)
Collinda Joseph of Stittsville, will be competing for Canada in wheelchair curling at the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games, between March 4-13, 2022.
Every member of Canada’s Wheelchair Curling team is training hard to make this happen, despite the need to sometimes practise alone with social distancing. “We’re always talking strategy online, but we’re often by ourselves for on-ice skills,” Collinda laughs. “But our biggest challenge right now is making sure we stay COVID-free so we can get on the plane!” There are some bright sides to this training method, however, as having the rink at the RA Centre to herself allows for great focus during practice. She also appreciates its accessibility features, which she says are always beneficial to her and her fellow Paralympians. It lets them concentrate on their sport without worrying about whether or not they will be able to access the rink.
Becoming an official Paralympic athlete has been an exciting process for Collinda. From the emotional experience of receiving her Team Canada jacket, to reading about where she will be staying in the Paralympic village, it has been both thrilling and overwhelming. “It’s a great feeling,” she says, “but a new one! I’m not sure it will feel real until I’m actually there, participating in the opening ceremonies.” But even with that surreal feeling, her and her teammates know they are ready for the games themselves. The World Championships in October taught them a lot, and showed them they could beat the best. “This time,” she notes with pride, “we’re better set up for victory. We’ve got new insights into the competition, and we have the target in sight.”
Collinda is proud of her accomplishments, but above all, she is deeply aware of the duty she’s undertaking. “The responsibility of wearing that maple leaf is massive, and I don’t want to let people down. I understand and appreciate that significance every day, and I want to be sure to fully take in every moment at the Paralympics, so I can be sure I don’t forget it.” From the atmosphere of the games, to the opportunity to talk to other Paralympians, Collinda is finally feeling that her dream of competing in this event is becoming a reality.
Outside of the game itself, what motivates her is her support group. Thinking about the help and encouragement she’s received from the Stittsville community brings tears to her eyes. “I want to thank my family and friends across Stittsville for everything, for all the support. Every one of them has been really important on my journey, and I know I wouldn’t have made it without them.” She also thanked her work teammates and managers at Accessibility Standards Canada for helping her be comfortable with her goals outside the office, and lending a hand where they could. Collinda felt the full weight of the emotion as she finished talking about it, with the apt description that “all the support from the community feels like getting a massive hug!”
She is looking forward to representing Canada and her hometown on the international stage of the Paralympics. “It’s an exciting time, but most of all I feel proud to have made it here, and thankful to those that helped me along the way.”
To watch and support Wheelchair Curling Team Canada in the Paralympics, being played in the National Aquatics Centre – known as the Ice Cube, tune into your favourite Canadian sports broadcaster from March 5-12.
The schedule for the Wheelchair Curling Roundrobin games is as follows:
March 5: Canada vs. China 2:35 p.m. / Canada vs. Switzerland 7:35 p.m. March 6: Canada vs. Latvia 2:35 p.m. March 7: Canada vs. USA 9:35 a.m. / Canada vs. Sweden 7:35 p.m. March 8: Canada vs. South Korea 9:35 a.m. / Canada vs. Slovakia 7:35 p.m. March 9: Canada vs. Great Britain 2:35 p.m. / Canada vs. Estonia 7:35 p.m. March 10: Canada vs. Norway 9:35 a.m. / Canada vs. RPC 2:35 p.m.
On Friday 11 March, the semi-finals will be played at 2:35 with 2v3 and 1v4 facing off. The bronze medal game will be played after the semi-finals, at 7:35 pm. The gold medal game will be on Saturday 2:35 pm.
(Canada’s Wheelchair Curling Paralympic team will be represented by: Ina Forrest, Spallumcheen, BC; Dennis Thiessen, Crystal City, MB; Collinda Joseph, Stittsville, ON; Jon Thurston, Dunsford, ON; and Mark Ideson, London, ON. Photo: Canadian Paralympic Committee)
