Russian Paralympic team comes first at the World Athletics Championships

The President of the Russian Paralympic Committee and the Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin spoke about the results of the World Athletics Championships for people with lesions of the musculoskeletal system, the blind and people with learning difficulties. The Russian national team in athletics for the first time in history came first in the unofficial team standings at the IPC World Championships in Lyon, winning 53 awards, nearly half of them gold.

The Russians won 26 gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze medals. The Americans came second and won 52 awards (17-18-17), while the Chinese, winners of the previous championship, got only 27 (10-13-4).

The tournament, according to organizers, was the largest in history by number of participants (more than 1100), participating countries (99) and medals awarded (207 types of competitions). Athletes competed at the Stade du Rhone for nine days. The most numerous delegation in Lyon was the U.S. delegation (76 athletes), and the Russian team was the second -- 66 athletes with lesions of the musculoskeletal system, visual impairment and learning difficulties. And the Chinese were represented by a total of 22 athletes.

After a successful performance at the 2011 World Championships, where Russia was second only to China's team (18 to 21 gold), and the success of the Paralympic Games in 2012, the Russians intended to prove their leadership, and it was more than possible. At first, the Russian team got only seven medals in two days, but from the third day there were many victories, many of which brought world records and records of the World Championship.