Winter Paralympics 2018's first gold medal claimed by visually impaired downhill skiier Henrieta Farkasova

Slovakia’s Henrieta Farkasova won the first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics on Saturday in women’s vision impaired downhill skiing. Farkasova and her guide Natalia Subrtova finished in 1min, 29.72 sec, beating second-placed Millie Knight of Britain and her guide Brett Wild by 0.86 sec. [caption id=“attachment_4384171” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Henrieta Farkasova (right) and her guide Natalia Subrtova in action. AFP[/caption] It was the Slovakian’s sixth Paralympic gold in vision impaired skiing. Belgium’s Eleonor took the bronze medal, finishing the course in 1min, 31.60 sec. The Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics were officially opened on Friday night with a glittering ceremony, that included fireworks and light shows. North Korea took centrestage at the ceremony. Pyongyang is sending its first ever athletes, two cross-country skiers, to take part in a Winter Paralympics, the last stage of rapprochement with the South that began at last month’s Winter Olympics.