Para snowboarder Sun wins 14th gold for host China

CHONGLI, Zhangjiakou, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Para snowboarder Sun Qi, 22, won the 14th gold for host China at the ongoing Beijing Winter Paralympics in men's banked slalom SB-LL2 here on Friday.

Sun, who finished 11th in the event at PyeongChang 2018, dominated Friday's race with the time of one minute and 9.73 seconds in his first run.

It is the first Paralympic gold and top-podium finish in a world-class arena for Sun who began skiing at age 16.

Defending champion Matti Suur-Hamari from Finland, 35, got the silver in 1:09.98. He had been crowned in men's snowboard cross SB-LL2 at Beijing 2022 on Monday.

32-year-old Ollie Hill from Britain, who finished fourth in the event at the 2022 world championships in Norway, took the bronze in 1:10.45.

All the top three made their best time of the race in their first runs.

The race witnessed a total of 25 riders from China, Finland, Britain, Canada, Japan, Australia, France, South Korea, Poland, Germany, Austria, Iran, and the United States.