The 23-year-old para-athlete completed the race at the Tesero Cross-Country Ski Arena in 2min29s06 and was just seven tenths behind China’s Liu Zixu, first placed and gold medalist
Brazil shone on the podium this Tuesday (10) at the Winter Paralympics. Cristian Ribera made history by winning the country’s first medal. With a fairly regular performance since the qualifying stages, he finished the cross-country skiing sitting sprint race in second place and won silver. THE 23-year-old para-athlete completed the race at the Tesero Cross-Country Ski Arena in 2min29s06 and was just seven tenths behind China’s Liu Zixu, first place and gold medalist. Kazakh Yerbol Khamitov took bronze.
“I’m very happy, it’s a dream come true. The next goal, of course, is gold. Being able to be on the podium, representing Brazil. I’m very proud. It’s very special for me,” said Ribera.
The other good news of the day came from Aline Rocha. The Brazilian surpassed Brazil’s best female result at the Winter Games by finishing in fifth place in the seated sprint.
Who is Cristian Ribera?
Born in Cerejeiras, in Rondônia, Ribera was one of the favorites for the highest place on the podium. In the big decision, he had a close fight with Pavlo Bal, from Ukraine. Despite withstanding the pressure well, he managed to lead the way, but ended up being surpassed by the Chinese competitor and finished with the unprecedented silver.
Cristian Ribera was born with arthrogryposis, a congenital disease of the joints of the extremities. In search of treatment, he moved from Rondônia to São Paulo when he was just two years old. He started the sport at the age of 15, when he was the youngest athlete to participate in the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.
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