Meet Ivan Golubkov, 2026 Winter Paralympic GOLD medalist
"I'll put up a fight," promised Ivan Golubkov on the eve of his departure for the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy. He certainly knows how to fight. The 30-year-old athlete is already a six-time world champion and nine-time World Cup winner.
He came to the sport inspired by skier Maria Iovleva, winner of two gold and one silver medal at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. At the age of ten, the girl, born with a musculoskeletal disorder, took up skiing. It turned out she had talent – not only for racing, but also for marksmanship. Iovleva made the Paralympic team and excelled in the relay, biathlon and biathlon pursuit at the Canada Games. A remarkable coincidence: Maria grew up in the same orphanage where Vanya Golubkov was raised.
He was born with spina bifida, a lower limb disorder. His fighting spirit kept him from getting bored – at the age of six, he began skiing. At first, it was simply to distract himself, to unwind and to get away from the orphanage. Later, he was noticed by Alexander Porshnev, Iovleva's coach.
"Cross-country skiing is speed, adrenaline and excitement. For a kid, it's just a game of tag and I considered it all a game, so I never felt tired and enjoyed it." Among his first fans was Paralympic legend Irina Gromova. She would often shout at him: "Come on, Vanya!" Nine years later, Golubkov would begin training with her.
Today, he is one of the strongest Paralympians in his sport. A six-time world champion and a nine-time World Cup winner. The only thing that didn't go his way was the Paralympics: the Russian team wasn't allowed to compete in Pyeongchang (2018) and Beijing (2022). Things didn't start off too well in Italy: Golubkov missed the sprint qualifying round and failed to make it into the top 12. But, on March 11, he got his revenge: He won gold in the 10-kilometer sitting individual start, covering the distance in 24 minutes and 5.8 seconds. His lead over China's Mao Zhongwu, who finished second, was 17.6 seconds!
"This is my first medal at the Paralympics. I'm happy. I was very disappointed yesterday; it was my worst race, but today I pulled myself together and showed everything I could. It wasn't difficult for me; I took the lead from the first second and stayed in the lead until the very end. The Russian anthem is my dream. It's for me, and it's for our whole country."
