Kazakhstan Paralympic Committee Chairman congratulates Kolyadin on historic gold

"Your gold medal has become a historic milestone of independent Kazakhstan and will go down in Paralympic history of Kazakhstan. To all our compatriots you have become a bright example of strong spirit, hard work and dedication and undying will to win. Your win inspires all of us! We wholeheartedly congratulate you, the coaching staff and the Paralympic Committee of Kazakhstan on this outstanding achievement," Kulibayev's congratulatory message reads.

Timur Kulibayev also revealed that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Paralympic Committee had signed the new long-term cooperation agreement in PyeongChang earlier.

"This step confirms the commitment of both organizations to promote the ideas and principles of sport. The National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan supports the Paralympic movement in our country and all initiatives aimed at its development," Timur Kulibayev added.

Earlier Kazinform reported that Kazakhstani para skier Alexandr Kolyadin claimed gold at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympic Games.

The skier won the first Paralympic gold at the Winter Games for Kazakhstan in history. He showed the best time in the Men's 1.5km Sprint Classic Standing event in the Republic of Korea.

Japanese Yoshihiro Nitta settled for silver. Canadian Mark Arendz and Finnish Iikka Tuomisto finished third and hauled bronze.