Paralympic cross-country skier Seo Borami competes in the 14th National Para Games 3 km biathlon sprint finals at the Alpensia Biathlon Center in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, on Feb. 8.
In the lead up to the test events for the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in the months of March and April, the 14th National Para Games kicked off this week, bringing together teams of athletes from across the country.
The games were held from Feb. 7 to 10 at 17 venues in the Seoul Metropolitan area and in Gangwon-do and Gyeonggi-do provinces. Some 880 athletes competed in seven different events, including alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, ice hockey, wheelchair curling and speed skating.
The skiing and snowboarding events were held at the Alpensia Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, the venue for the upcoming Para Nordic Skiing World Cup on March 10 to 15. The snowboarding events were launched at the Para Games for the first time this year, as the sport will be expanded into a separate discipline, with 10 medal events, at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.
An athlete competes in the banked slalom snowboard event at the 14th National Para Games at the Alpensia Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, on Feb. 8.
At this year’s Para Games, cross-country skier Seo Borami, who represented Korea at the Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, won gold in the women’s 4 km freestyle sitting and the 2 km classic sitting cross-country events. The athlete also came first place in the women’s biathlon 3 km sitting sprint event.
Along with cross-country skier Seo Borami, nordic skiers Choi Bo Gyu and Lee Jeong Min won three golds each in their events. All three athletes are members of the national team for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.
Meanwhile on the snowboard, Bong Min Jong and Kim Hyeon Woo each won gold in the men’s banked slalom open event and the banked slalom deaf-blind (DB) event.
By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Korea Paralympic Committee
hlee10@korea.kr
A visually-impaired cross-country skier (left) competes in the National Para Games women’s 2.5 km classic event, led by her guide, at the Alpensia Resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, on Feb. 6.
Two ice hockey players jostle for the puck at the National Para Games ice hockey event at the Uiam Ice Rink in Chuncheon in Gangwon-do Province on Feb. 7.
