SOCHI, March 10, 14:53 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian cross-country skier Rushan Minnegulov on Monday won the gold medal in men’s standing 20-kilometer classic event at the XI Paralympic Winter Games in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, completing the distance in 50 minutes 55.1 seconds.

Finland’s Ilkka Tuomisto (51:31.5) secured silver, and Russia’s Vladislav Lekomtsev (51:44.6) took the bronze medal.

Japan’s Yoshihiro Nitta (54:10.2) came fourth, Germany’s Tino Uhlig (55:30.8) fifth, Ukraine’s Ihor Reptyukh (56:05.5) sixth, Russia’s Kirill Mikhailov (56:31.6) seventh, Vladimir Kononov (57.02.4) eighth.

Team Russia is at the top of the medal standings at the 2014 Sochi Paralympics. It has a total of 22 medals, including 6 golds, 9 silvers and 7 bronzes.

Minnegulov was born on November 27, 1992 in the village of Bogatye Saby in Russia’s republic of Tatarstan. He is a world-class master of sports. He is the champion, silver and bronze medalist of the 2013 world championship.

The 2014 Winter Paralympic Games kicked off in Sochi on March 7 and will run until March 16. Over 1,350 Paralympic athletes from 45 countries are competing for 72 sets of medals at Russia’s first ever Winter Paralympic Games.