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a male Para Nordic skier

Taras Rad

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Ukraine
Nordic Skiing
1

Taras Rad had a Winter Paralympic debut to remember as he claimed gold in the men’s biathlon middle distance sitting at PyeongChang 2018. The youngster is the newest man in a long line of prolific Nordic skiers coming from Ukraine.

He had also enjoyed success in the 2016-17 season.

Rad claimed triple silver in the biathlon sprint, middle and long distance events at his first World Championships in Finsterau, Germany. He also finished second in the 2016-17 biathlon World Cup overall rankings.

Rad injured his leg at 14 years old, the wound was not treated properly at the hospital he went to and he caught an infection. Doctors later had to amputate it to save his life.

Soon after, Rad was introduced to cross-country skiing and biathlon through the Invasport Para sports organisation in Ukraine. He had practiced football and athletics before having his leg amputated and wanted to continue being involved in sports.

Coach Viktor Fedorchak encouraged him to start training biathlon more seriously.

Rad now trains 12 times a week on the snow. He also goes to a swimming pool three times a week and cycles to school every day.

Biography

Impairment information

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency
Origin of Impairment
Acquired
Classification
LW12

Further personal information

Residence
Ternopil, UKR
Occupation
Athlete, Student
Languages
German, Ukrainian
Higher education
Physical Education - Ternopil National Pedagogical University: Ukraine

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?
He was introduced to cross-country skiing and biathlon at age 14, after the amputation of his leg, through the Invasport Para sports organisation in Ukraine.
Why this sport?
He was involved in athletics and football before the amputation of his leg, and wanted to stay involved in sports. After trying several Para sports, he was noticed by coach Viktor Fedorchak and encouraged to start training seriously.
Club / Team
Invasport: Ukraine
Name of coach
Viktor Fedorchak [personal], UKR; Vasyl Mukshyn, UKR; Valery Kazakov, UKR
Training Regime
He trains 12 times a week on the snow. He also goes to a swimming pool three times a week.

International debut

Year
2016
Competing for
Ukraine
Tournament
World Cup
Location
Vuokatti, FIN

General interest

Hobbies
Cycling, spending time with friends. (Athlete, 18 Dec 2017)
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning gold in 12.5km sitting biathlon race at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2018)
Hero / Idol
Ukrainian biathlete Yuliia Dzhima. (Athlete, 18 Dec 2017)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Sport makes you more confident. It teaches you how to cope with barriers, challenges, and losses. Never give up. Improve yourself. It also makes you more open to the world." (radiosvoboda.org, 13 Mar 2018)
Awards and honours
For his achievements at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, he received the Order for Merits [third grade] of Ukraine. (president.gov.ua, 29 Mar 2018)

He has received the title of Master of Sport of International Class in Ukraine. (dsmsu.gov.ua, 31 May 2018; Athlete, 18 Dec 2017)
Other sports
He competed in both biathlon and cross-country skiing at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (SportsDeskOnline, 19 Mar 2018)
Ambitions
To claim gold at the world championships, and win multiple medals at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2018; bbc.com, 23 Mar 2018)
Impairment
After injuring his leg at age 14 he went to get treatment at a hospital, but the wound was not treated properly and he acquired an infection. Doctors later had to amputate his leg in order to save his life. (invak.info, 31 May 2016)

Results

Unit Date Rank
2017 IPC Nordic skiing World Championships Finsterau, GER (Finsterau, Germany)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Middle Distance Sitting Final 2017-02-11 2
Men's Sprint - Free Style Sitting Final 2017-02-12 8
Men's Long Distance Sitting Final 2017-02-14 2
Men's Sprint Sitting Final 2017-02-18 2
Men's Middle Distance - Free Style Sitting Final 2017-02-19 6
Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games (Pyeongchang, South Korea)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's 7.5km Sitting Final 2018-03-10 4
Men's 15km Sitting Final 2018-03-11 7
Men's 12.5km Sitting Final 2018-03-13 1
Men's 1.1km Sprint Sitting Final 2018-03-14 5
Men's 15km Sitting Final 2018-03-16 4
Men's 7.5km Sitting Final 2018-03-17 4
Prince George 2019 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships (Prince George, Canada)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Middle Distance Sitting Final 2019-02-16 1
Men's Middle Distance - Free Style Sitting Final 2019-02-17 3
Men's Sprint - Free Style Sitting Final 2019-02-18 3
Men's Sprint Sitting Final 2019-02-20 1
Men's Long Distance Sitting Final 2019-02-21 1
Men's Long Distance - Classic Sitting Final 2019-02-24 2

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