Meet Anastasia Bagiyan, 2026 Winter Paralympic Champion

She was born in 2001 in Perm. She lost her sight at 15. But, she didn't despair; she took up skiing just two years later. And her parents supported her. "We started skiing on our own, to distract her from her stress and to connect her with her family, because she'd become so withdrawn. And she took to it… I wanted my child to succeed. Even though she lost her sight, I want her to at least succeed in sports in a way that she enjoys," says the athlete's mother, Irina Bagiyan.

Anastasia trained at the Olympic Reserve Adaptive Sports School. In 2018, she chose cross-country skiing and began training with coach Alexey Turbin. She also began working with leading athlete Sergey Sinyakin (blind and partially blind athletes compete in pairs). His job is to outline the course, coordinate movements and ensure safety.

Bagiyan combines her athletic career with her studies: she’s a student at the Tchaikovsky Academy of Physical Education. She follows an individual schedule, never missing training or competitions.

Since 2021, Anastasia has been a member of the Russian Paralympic team. Her achievements include bronze at the World Championships in Lillehammer, victories at the Russian Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon Championships and Cup and the ‘We Are Together. Sport’ Paralympic Winter Games. "She always wins. She has this drive to win. Nastya is very hardworking and goal-oriented by nature," says Alexey Turbin about her.

Russian Paralympic Committee President Pavel Rozhkov, meanwhile, calls Anastasia an excellent student. He says the athlete has a refined technique, yet she thoroughly enjoys skiing.

In January 2026, Bagiyan won the mass start at a World Cup stage in Germany.

By mid-February, she was training on the Italian Passo Lavaze slope in the Dolomites. Her coach Alexey Turbin gave her some advice before leaving for the Games: "You must win medals."

However, victory didn't come easy. In Val di Fiemme, the warmer weather made the slopes loose, so they decided not to salt them. Many athletes fell during training, but Bagiyan-Sinyakin managed to overcome these difficulties. In the classic sprint, Anastasia finished first with a time of 3 minutes and 16.1 seconds – 9.2 seconds faster than Germany's Linn Katzmaier, who came in second place.

"I'm so happy! I'd like to dedicate this gold to the entire country. To everyone who cheered us on. And I'd especially like to thank my companion, Sergey Sinyakin, for we won together," said Anastasia, sharing her emotions. Sergey himself responded more reservedly: "What are we feeling now? That we've worked 1,200 meters on the track!" But, the fans were more emotional: "This is a miracle! It brings tears to my eyes!" "So much perseverance and hard work… Well done, Anastasia!" "What a clever girl she is, and what a great guy Sergey is! It's hard to even imagine how much work has been accomplished!"

On Wednesday, the athlete won her second gold: In the 10 km individual start race, she covered the distance in 29 minutes and 39.7 seconds.

Baghiyan's motto is: "Never stop there!" Her coach is also confident that she's capable of surprising everyone: "I'm confident Nastya can win all the medals!"