Beijing 2022, Day 9: Top stories, moments and records from the last day of the Paralympic Winter Games

The last day of Beijing 2022 saw the final medals awarded before the closing ceremony brought the curtain down on an action-packed, story-making, history-breaking Paralympic Winter Games.

In a final flurry, medals were awarded in three Para alpine skiing disciplines while two team medals were awarded in Para cross-country skiing. The Games’ events concluded with the Para ice hockey gold-medal match in which the USA won their fourth consecutive Paralympic gold medal, beating their great North American rivals, Canada, 5-0.

“We are a family through and through,” said US forward Brody Roybal. “We did it for each other, and it is just amazing.”

Alpine skiing again belonged to legendary Norwegian sit skier Jesper Perdersen who came out on top for the fourth time at Beijing 2022, this time in the slalom. Silver was claimed by Netherlands’ Niels de Langen with bronze won by Italy’s Rene De Silvestro, who will be eyeing a home Paralympic Winter Games next time out at Milano Cortina 2026.

De Silvestro’s teammate Giacomo Bertagnolli won a drama-filled slalom event, taking gold in the visually-impaired category, just besting 16-year-old Austrian sensation Johannes Aigner. The twosome will no doubt be set to thrash it out in Italy in four years time, with Bertagnolli in front of his home crowd.

In the standing discipline, France’s Arthur Bauchet topped the home nation’s Liang Jingyi while New Zealand’s Adam Hall claimed bronze.

Two disciplines took place in the cross-country skiing 4x2.5km event – open and mixed. The open event, in which nations can field two, three or four athletes in any classification in a sprint relay requires speed, strategy and teamwork and it was the Ukrainians who crossed the line first to emotional scenes with their teammates. France won silver with Norway bagging bronze.

The mixed relay, which featured a mix of male and female athletes with a high level of impairment, saw the United States claim gold coming from fourth to first in just half a lap to claim the title. People’s Republic of China claimed silver with Canada closing out the podium with bronze.

Moment of the day

The Alpine skiing visually-impaired category once again provided great drama, this time in the slalom. Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli bested 16-year-old Austrian sensation Johannes Aigner who added a silver medal to his total haul of Beijing 2022 medals, which now comprises five medals including two golds. The Italian – himself a winner of four medals at these Games, comprising two golds and two silvers – will have been thrilled to have defended his slalom title from PyeongChang 2018 while signing off with a flourish ahead of his home Games with a three-peat podium possibility in the offing come 2026. Slovakia’s Miroslav Haraus made the most of a mistake from GB’s Neil Simpson in the first run to claim the final podium position but the Brit was pleased to be heading home with the nation’s first ever men’s gold medal at a Paralympic Winter Games after winning the super-G title with his brother Andrew as guide, a week ago.

Athlete of the day

Not only is Jesper Pedersen Olympics.com's athlete of the day but the sit-ski alpine skier also leaves Beijing 2022 as the Games' most successful Paralympian after claiming his fourth gold of the Games to add to his one silver medal. In typical Pedersen style, despite a 3.5 second cushion ahead of Netherlands' Niels de Langen after the first run in the sitting slalom, the Norwegian flew down the slopes in an all-or-nothing performance that left him laid out on the snow after crossing the finish line, no doubt trying to take in the fact that he was the only athlete to have won an incredible quartet of gold medals at Beijing 2022.

The next Paralympic Winter Games

At the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games, Beijing 2022 handed over to the next hosts Milano Cortina 2026.

Events will take place in the city of Milan and the Alpine resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo, while also encompassing venues throughout the Lombardy and Veneto regions, and the provinces of Trento and Bolzano.

During the Beijing 2022 closing ceremony Giovanni Malagò, president of the Italian National Olympic Committee said of Milano Cortina 2026: "We will walk our road to the Games as a team. I am absolutely optimistic about our ability to deliver a memorable celebration of sport and its values.”

All medals of the day

Men’s events

Para Alpine skiing - Slalom vision impaired

• Gold: Giacomo Bertagnolli (ITA)
• Silver: Johannes Aigner (AUT)
• Bronze: Miroslav Haraus (SVK)

Para Alpine skiing - Slalom standing

• Gold: Arthur Bauchet (FRA)
• Silver: Liang Jingyi (CHN)
• Bronze: Adam Hall (NZL)

Para Alpine skiing - Slalom sitting

• Gold: Jesper Pedersen (NOR)
• Silver: Niels de Langen (NED)
• Bronze: Rene De Silvestro (ITA)

Mixed

Para Cross-country skiing - Mixed 4x2.5km relay

• Gold: USA
• Silver: People's Republic of China
• Bronze: Canada

Para Cross-country skiing - Open 4x2.5km relay

• Gold: Ukraine
• Silver: France
• Bronze: Norway

Para Ice hockey - Gold medal game

• Gold: USA
• Silver: Canada

Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 Closing Ceremony

“Differences here (in Beijing) did not divide us," said president of the International Paralympic Committee Andrew Parsons in the closing address at the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. "They united us. Together for a shared future. Through this unity we have hope. Hopes for inclusion, hopes for harmony and importantly, hopes for peace.”

Some of the medal winners from today had a busy afternoon too as some were also chosen to be the flag bears for their nations at the closing ceremony. Johannes Aigner proudly held Austria's flag aloft while superstar biathlete Vitaliy Lukyanenko carried the flag for Ukraine, while Rene De Silvestro represented the next hosts, Italy.

The Paralympic flag has now been handed to Milano Cortina who will host the Winter Games in four years' time.