On Tuesday, at the third annual Elena Mukhina National Awards, four-time Paralympic skiing champion Irek Zaripov of Russia has taken the major prize.

      Zaripov is a several-time World Champion, he also won one silver and four gold medals at the Winter Paralympic Games 2011 in Vancouver.

      The event was named after the famous Soviet gymnast Elena Mukhina who was badly injured during a competition in 1980, being at the summit of fame. She spent the rest of her life bedridden and became the first Russian sportsman who was given the Olympic medal "For Courage".

      That event is held for the third time, its laureates are usually the most outstanding disabled persons of sports, culture, arts and science.

      "There are many awards, but this one is unique,” Vladimir Lukin, Russia’s human rights commissioner, said. “It is named after a great gymnast, but it is not only about sport. It brings together people of many professions – people who have survived and managed to overcome all hardships."

        The other awards were given to Hungarian fencer and three-time Paralympic champ Pal Szekeres and president of Chechnya’s Karate Kyokushinkai Federation, Badruddin Israilov. Another laureate is an outstanding sportsman Tanny Gray Thompson, who won 16 medals at the Paralympic Games and 13 medals at the World Championships, she also has several awards for the basketball on wheeled chairs. The sportswoman wasn't able to come in Moscow, her speech of gratitude was recorded and then shown on the big screen.

        Besides the sports, three special awards were given in nomination "Call of Heart" for the support in disabled people's social adaptation. 

Sources: Interfax KP Russia Today Image: Sovsport