The Sochi 2014 medals are unique and feature the Sochi 2014 "Patchwork Quilt" – a mosaic of national designs from the various cultures and ethnicities of the Russian Federation. The medals have been carefully crafted to depict the landscape of Sochi from the sun's rays reflecting through the snowy mountain tops onto the sandy beaches of the Black Sea coast. These contrasts in Russia's natural landscape are embodied in the medals and will be an everlasting souvenir for the champions. The unusual combination of metal

The Sochi 2014 Paralympic medals symbolise the integrity and strength of spirit of Paralympians, who are an example of the unlimited possibilities of humankind.

One side of the medals features the Paralympic symbol (three "agitos"); the reverse features the logo of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games and the name of the competition in English. The official name of the Games in Russian and English is engraved on the medal rim. The awards also contain inscriptions in Braille for the visually impaired. Read more

Para-snowboard has been on the tip of everyone’s tongues this week, as the IPCAS Snowboard Cross Test Event was held on Wednesday (6 March) for the sport that will make its Paralympic Games debut in exactly one year.

Fans are excited to see a new, extreme-type sport make its way up to the Paralympic level, and athletes such as USA’s Evan Strong and Amy Purdy, along with New Zealand’s Carl Murphy and the Netherlands’ Biban Mentel are slowly becoming household names.

And, most importantly, after years of petitioning, snowboarders are finally ready to show the world why the deserve to be on the international stage in Paralympic sport.

“It was a movement from a lot of people in a lot of nations, and we’re very proud to have advanced the sport to the Paralympic platform,” Strong said.

“Snowboarding is something new, something fresh that will definitely excited fans at the Paralympic level.

“It’s been great to compete in international competitions. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s going to be like at Sochi 2014.”

Men’s competition

Following Strong’s first-place finish at the test event, he will easily go into Sochi 2014 as the one to beat on the men’s side.

“It felt really good to be here in the biggest most high-profile race for adaptive snowboarding so far,” Strong said after the test event. “So it felt really good to go home with a victory. It's a really good way to go into Sochi for next year.”

Strong has been around action sports his entire life, growing up on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where he was formerly a kid skateboarding wiz.

He said most of his training dips into other sports, as when he’s not on the snow he is skateboarding or mountain biking.

At Sochi 2014, the 25-year-old will have plenty of competition from several athletes he knows well who competed with him in adaptive snowboard cross and X-Games events for the last six seasons.

Murphy, along with Canada’s Tyler Mosher and USA’s Mike Shea, will be Strong’s toughest opponents in his quest to claim gold in the men’s lower-limb category, the only classification being offered in snowboard’s Paralympic Games debut.

All of them believe snowboarding has the chance to skyrocket in Paralympic popularity, as the sport did when it debuted at the Olympics.

“I think the same thing will happen with para-snowboard that happened on the Olympic side with snowboard,” Strong said. Read More:

Mentel and Strong win Snowboard Cross
The Netherlands' Bibian Mentel and USA's Evan Strong were victorious at the IPCAS Snowboard Cross Test Event in Sochi, Russia.

The Netherlands' Bibian Mentel and USA’s Evan Strong picked up gold at the IPCAS Snowboard Cross Test Event in Sochi, Russia on Wednesday (6 March).

With just one year and one day to go until the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, 25 athletes from 11 nations competed in warm, sunny conditions on a technical and challenging course in Rosa Khutor, the Paralympic snow sports venue.

There were events for upper and lower limb impairment groups, although only the latter will be a Paralympic event next year.

Strong had the fastest times on the first two runs on the men’s side, allowing him to take gold.

The Hawaiian native did not go into the competition as confidently as he might have hoped, though, having battled illness over the past few days.

“After practice yesterday, I wasn't feeling super-confident, I was sliding down a lot of the turns,” Strong said. “I didn't really know how today was going to go.

“But as soon as I got out the start gate on my first run, it just felt super fluid, really good and I thought, 'I know this feeling, I know how to do this.’”

It was by no means an easy victory, as Strong finished 0.29 seconds ahead of his teammate Mike Shea (1:28.36), who had the fastest time on the third run and was consistently less than 0.2 seconds behind Strong on the other runs. New Zealand's Carl Murphy took bronze in 1:28.71.

“Mike Shea my teammate has been looking super aggressive and really fast all season, and he was definitely keeping it together better in the training,” Strong said. “Seeing that the first six guys were just half a second apart after the first two runs, I knew my work was cut out for me.” Read More:

Keith "Grizzly" Gabel, Mike Shea, Evan Strong, Amy Purdy with coach Jason Toth at Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort, Russia preparing for the Paralympic test event races March 6, 2013. Go Team USA

Twenty-five snowboarders from 11 countries are set to take part in the Snowboard Cross Paralympic Test Event in Sochi, Russia on Wednesday (6 March).

Athletes from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine and USA are eager to test the sport which will make its Paralympic debut at the 2014 Games.

The event will take place just one year and one day before the Paralympic Winter Games open at the Extreme Park in Rosa Khotor – not far from the Paralympic venue.

USA's world champion Evan Strong will likely find his toughest opponent in New Zealand's Carl Murphy. Read More: