Slovakia at the 2018 Winter Paralympics facts for kids
Slovakia sent a team of amazing athletes to the 2018 Winter Paralympics! These big games happened in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Slovakia had up to fifteen sportspeople competing. They showed off their skills in two main sports: para-alpine skiing and wheelchair curling. One of their most famous athletes is Henrieta Farkasova. She has won more medals at the Winter Paralympics than anyone else from Slovakia! Before the 2018 games, she already had five gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. What an achievement!
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Meet Team Slovakia
Slovakia sent up to fifteen athletes to the 2018 Winter Paralympics. They also had about 15 other people with them to help out, like coaches and medical staff. The athletes competed in para-alpine skiing and wheelchair curling.
Here are some of the athletes who were part of Team Slovakia:
| Name | Sport | Gender | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radoslav Ďuriš | wheelchair curling | male | Curler |
| Henrieta Farkasova | para-alpine skiing | female | Skier |
| Martin France | para-alpine skiing | male | Skier |
| Miroslav Haraus | para-alpine skiing | male | Skier |
| Jakub Krako | para-alpine skiing | male | Skier |
| Marek Kubačka | para-alpine skiing | male | Skier |
| Monika Kunkelová | wheelchair curling | female | Curler |
| Imrich Lyócsa | wheelchair curling | male | Curler |
| Peter Zatko | wheelchair curling | male | Curler |
| Dušan Pitoňák | wheelchair curling | male | Curler |
| Petra Smaržová | para-alpine skiing | female | Skier |
| Nataly Subrtova | para-alpine skiing | female | Guide skier |
Besides the athletes, there were important people like Maroš Čambal (the team leader) and medical staff. They all worked together to support the athletes.
Para-Alpine Skiing
Para-alpine skiing is a sport where athletes with disabilities race down snowy mountains. They can use special equipment or have a guide, depending on their disability.
Top Skiers from Slovakia
Two of Slovakia's most successful skiers are Henrieta Farkasova and Jakub Krako.
Henrieta Farkasova's Achievements
Henrieta Farkasova is an amazing skier. She went to the 2018 Games as a world champion in two events: slalom and giant slalom. She had already won gold medals in both races at the 2014 Winter Paralympics. Farkasova has won more medals at the Winter Paralympics than any other Slovak athlete. Before the 2018 games, she had five gold, one silver, and one bronze medal. Henrieta was born in 1986 and is blind.
Jakub Krako's Success
Jakub Krako is another top Slovak skier. He was second in Slovakia for most medals won at the Winter Paralympics. Before the 2018 games in Pyeongchang, he had already won four gold medals and two silver medals. Jakub has a physical disability.
Training Before the Games
Before the big event, Henrieta Farkasova traveled to Slovenia in January 2018. There, she competed in a World Cup event in Kranjska Gora to get ready.
Race Schedule and Practice
The skiers had practice runs for the downhill race on March 7. However, their practice runs on March 8 and 9 were canceled.
The first skiing event was the downhill race on March 10. The next day, March 11, was the Super-G race. On March 13, athletes competed in the super combined event, which has a Super-G part and a slalom part. The slalom event took place on March 14 and 15. The last para-alpine skiing race was the giant slalom, held on March 17 and 18.
Slovakia's Medal Wins
Slovak athletes did incredibly well in para-alpine skiing!
- Henrieta Farkasova, guided by Nataly Subrtova, won the first gold medal for Slovakia at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. She won gold in the women's downhill visually impaired race.
- In the men's visually impaired downhill race, Jakub Krako of Slovakia won a silver medal!
- Henrieta Farkasova won another gold medal in the women's Super-G visually impaired race.
- Jakub Krako won a gold medal in the men's Super-G visually impaired race.
- Miroslav Haraus of Slovakia won a bronze medal in the men's Super-G visually impaired race.
Wheelchair Curling
Wheelchair curling is a team sport similar to regular curling, but played by athletes using wheelchairs. Slovakia's wheelchair curling team played against Sweden on March 12.
See also
In Spanish: Eslovaquia en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Pyeongchang 2018 para niños
