15 Inspirational Images From The Sochi Paralympics

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are still fresh in our memory – no, this is not a reference to snow and how cold it was in Russia (although it could be…) –, so let’s take a trip down to memory lane and relive the best moments of the Paralympic competition. Check out this list of 15 awesome heroes. The images speak for themselves!

1/15 – A hard knock moment

Here is a true “oops” moment, captured during a game of ice hockey disputed by the national American team. Not even a referee can stop the strength of a Paralympic athlete!

2/15 – A victorious moment

It doesn’t matter who you are and where you are: practicing sport always puts a smile on your face and makes you forget what other people call “limitations”. And sometimes you even get to win like these three amazing athletes!

3/15 – Kirill Mikhaylov

Yup, it was really cold in Sochi during the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games. But that didn’t stop the Russian cross-country skier, biathlete and four-time Paralympic Champion Kirill Mikhaylov from celebrating his win in the snow. Do we have a snow angel fan in the house?

4/15 – Anna Schaffelhuber

She is a woman, she is a Paralympic athlete and she is fearless. Meet Anna Schaffelhuber, the German para-alpine skier who made our jaws drop while competing in Sochi’s female Slalom.

5/15 – Henrietta Farkašová

It’s impossible to look at this picture of Henrietta Farkašová celebrating her gold medal in Sochi and ignore the smile on our faces. The Slovak alpine skier and three-time Paralympic Champion was simply amazing!

6/15 – Marie Bochet

She is not only one of the very best when she is skiing, she is also amazing when it comes to jump and celebrate her gold medals. This is the French alpine skier and Paralympic Champion Marie Bochet enjoying herself after winning one of the four gold medals she brought from Sochi in 2014.

7/15 – Tatyana McFadden

Nothing, not even the “unexpected” amount of snow, could stop this force of nature at 2014 Sochi Paralympics! The cross-country skier Tatyana McFadden, from the United States, was one of the biggest stars of the competition.

8/15 – South Korean team

Even the referees had to celebrate along with the South Korean Sledge Hockey team after they proved their superiority against Sweden.

9/15 – Fukutaro Yamazaki

It’s so easy to recognize true determination when you look at Fukutaro Yamazaki’s face in this picture. The Japanese alpine skier was brilliant in Sochi!

10/15 – Dzmitry Loban

Dzmitry Loban is not only a star of Cross-Country Skiing, but he is also an impressive Biathlon competitor. The Paralympic athlete from Belarus gave everything he had in Sochi, but wasn’t able to win a medal. Maybe next time, Dzmitry!

11/15 – Roman Petushkov

The Russian Paralympic cross-country skier and biathlete presented the crowd with a magnificent smile when he won the gold in Sochi.

12/15 – Stephanie Jallen

Also known as Hopper, the 18-year-old American skier Stephanie Jallen couldn’t hold the tears when she received a bronze medal in the 2014 Winter Paralympics while competing for Team USA in the women’s Super-G.

13/15 – Curling British team

Curling is always one of the most beloved sports of the Winter Olympics and this picture perfectly shows the great technique of the Paralympic British athletes. They were really close to the gold, but had to settle for the silver medal. Maybe the next games can bring the desired yellow medal…

14/15 – Ukraine

Ukraine might be the country represented by a one-man team, but Mykailo Tkachenko was enough to keep the flag flying. The other 30 athletes refused to go on stage as a form of protest against the Russian incursion in Crimea.

15/15 – Russian team

Let’s end this list with a beautiful moment. The Russian Ice Sledge Hockey team couldn’t be happier after winning a semi-final in Sochi and Vasili Varlakov and Vladimir Kamantcev had to show it to the world: with a big, warm hug!