CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — Russia's national anthem played at the Paralympics for the first time in more than a decade on Monday after Para alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina won gold in the women's super-G standing competition.

The 23-year-old Voronchikhina's victory marked a significant milestone as Russian athletes are competing under their national flag at the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics, ending years of competing as neutral athletes due to doping violations and military conflicts.

Voronchikhina, who had claimed bronze in the downhill event two days earlier, finished first in Monday's super-G competition. The medal ceremony featuring the Russian anthem was scheduled to take place shortly after her victory.

Meanwhile, French Para snowboard veteran Cécile Hernandez captured her second Paralympic gold medal on Sunday. The 51-year-old athlete was emotional during the medal ceremony as the French national anthem played, with her 18-year-old daughter also crying nearby. Hernandez's victory represented the culmination of her dreams at the Milan Cortina Paralympics.

The return of Russian athletes competing under their national colors represents a notable shift in Paralympic participation after years of restrictions related to state-sponsored doping programs and geopolitical conflicts that had previously limited their status in international competition.