Cristian Ribera
Ribeira in 2026 with his silver medal won at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 November 2002 Cerejeiras, Rondônia, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Para cross-country skiing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Cristian Westemaier Ribera (born 13 November 2002) is a Brazilian para cross-country skier. At the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships, he won the silver medal in the men's sprint sitting event. At the 2026 Winter Paralympics he also won the silver medal in the men's sprint sitting event, becoming the first Brazilian in history to win a medal of any kind at the Winter Paralympics.[3]
Background
Ribera was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which causes bent and stiff joints in various parts of the body. He has undergone 21 leg surgeries to improve his condition. He started playing sports when he was four years old, and he started parallel skiing in 2015.[4]
Career
Ribera made his international debut in the World Cup in 2017–18, and came in seventh place in the class for sitting athletes.[5] He participated in the 2018 Winter Paralympics, where he was the youngest participant at 15 years old, finishing in sixth place in the 15 km event, ninth place and 15th place in the 7.5 km and sprint events respectively. In addition, he participated in the mixed relay, where Brazil finished in 13th place. [6]
He came in 13th place in the World Cup in 2018–19, and he came in second place in the World Cup in 2019–20, only beaten by Ivan Golubkov.[7][8] The following season, he finished in 13th place in the World Cup in 2020–21.
At the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships held in Lillehammer, Ribera won his first medal ever in World Championships :the silver medal in the sprint event. In the 18 km event, he finished in sixth place, and in the 10 km event, he finished in eighth place.[9]
At the 2023 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships held in Östersund, Sweden, Ribera won the bronze medal in the sprint event. [10]
Ribera won 3 medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2025. His first gold medal ever was at the sprint in Trondheim, Norway[11]. He also won two bronze medals in the events held in Toblach, Italy: in the 20km Freestyle [12] and the 10 Km Classical [13].
At the 2026 Winter Paralympics he also won the silver medal in the men's sprint sitting event, becoming the first Brazilian in history to win a medal of any kind at the Winter Paralympics. Ribera dominated much of the final of that event in that discipline, but was overtaken in the final stretch by China's Zixu Liu, who clocked a time of 2:28.9 to take the gold; the Brazilian finished in 2:29.6, closely followed by Kazakhstan's Yerbol Khamitov (2:29.9), who took the bronze.[3]
References
- ^ https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=PCC&competitorid=290886&raceid=3706
- ^ https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=PCC&competitorid=290886&raceid=3709
- ^ a b "É prata! Cristian Ribera é segundo no sprint e faz história nos Jogos Paralímpicos de Inverno". Comitê Paralímpico Brasileiro (in Portuguese). Comitê Paralímpico Brasileiro. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ "Cristian Westemaier Ribera". IPC. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "World Para Nordic Skiing WC Points - Winter Season 2017/18 - World Cup Overall Rankings". IPC. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "Verzerrte Wirklichkeit". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Frankfurter Rundschau GmbH. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ "World Para Nordic Skiing WC Points - Winter Season 2018/19 - World Cup Overall Rankings". IPC. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "World Para Nordic Skiing WC Points - Winter Season 2019/20 - World Cup Overall Rankings". IPC. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "Athlete Profile - Cristian Westemaier Ribera". IPC. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "De Rondônia para o mundo, Cristian Ribera conquista o bronze no Mundial de esqui cross-country na Suécia". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). 25 January 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ "Cristian Ribera é campeão mundial de esqui cross-country paralímpico". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). 6 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ "Cristian Ribera conquista o bronze no Mundial Paralímpico de esqui cross-country". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). 14 February 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ "Para Cross-Country Results - Toblach (ITA) 2024/2025". FIS. Retrieved 18 March 2026.