BEIJING -- Vitalii Lukianenko of Ukraine, the winner of the men's 6-kilometer biathlon in the vision impaired category at the Beijing Paralympics, was awarded the gold medal on Sunday evening.
Lukianenko stood on the podium with a serious expression, despite his gold-medal win. He said he was unhappy because he was worried about what was happening in his home country, which is currently being invaded by Russia.
Ukrainians swept the podium, and all three athletes hummed their national anthem as the Ukrainian flag was raised. Lukianenko lives in Kharkiv, which is under heavy fire by Russian forces, and called for an end to the war as the city has been reduced to rubble.
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