Don’t give up: the strong story of Paralympian Alexey Moshkin

On March 1 , Russian sports drama “From the Bottom of the Peak” was released in cinemas , the plot of which is based on real events. A young athlete from the junior alpine skiing team Alexei Tsaryov overcomes pain, fear and uncertainty to realize his dream and become the best in the competition.

The prototype of the protagonist was a two-time Paralympic champion in cross-country skiing Alexei Moshkin. Alexei was personally present on the set, advised the actors and even played a cameo role.

The author of the movie script Rauf Kubaev said that everything started with the fact that the Paralympian told him some stories from his life, which he thought it was necessary to include in the movie.

How did it really happen?

The future Paralympic champion was born in the town of Mezhdurechensk. Alexey Moshkin began to engage in alpine skiing from an early age. As a child, he heard one of his acquaintances telling his peers about lessons at a ski school. He then wanted to go there too, and asked his parents to sign him up for his first training session.

At first, alpine skiing did not impress the young skier, and secretly from his parents he even began to skip classes. However, after a conversation with his father, Alexey made a final decision to devote himself to skiing. Thus began the story of the future Paralympic champion and honored master of sports Alexei Moshkin.

Alexey Moshkin is well developed physically and, of course, like any athlete, has a strong character. This has been the case since childhood. Thanks to his physical data and strength of mind the young athlete immediately began to take part in various competitions. The level of competitions increased every time: first it was city competitions, then regional, all-Union, and then international.

In 1986 in Alexey Moshkin’s life there was a tragic accident that divided his life into “before” and “after”. As a result of a railroad accident, Alexei lost both legs. As the athlete himself recalls, the doctors at the time advised him not to even think about skiing. But Alexey was determined to continue his work. Even then he could not imagine his life without sport.

The goal is still the same – championship

Then, in the hospital, the young athlete decided for himself that he would not give up, no matter what, moreover, he would not just re-learn to walk, but would get back on skis. The goal remained the same – to become a champion. As Moshkin himself later admitted, he was just a child at the time and did not fully realize what was happening. In many ways, this is what helped him to move on. Alexey still believed that despite what the doctors said, he would ski again.

Having set a goal, Moshkin walked long and hard towards it. First he learned to walk on prosthetic limbs, then he mastered rollerblading and bicycling. At trainings he always gave his best and was ready for any load. Alexei had to change his plans, but despite all the adversity, he did not forget about his dream and still strived for it. Thanks to his strong character and constant training, he gradually managed to gain the necessary shape. After years of hard work, he finally started competing again.

Deserves respect. The sports path of Alexei Moshkin

During his career, Moshkin managed to win two gold medals at the Winter Paralympic Games – in 1994 and 1998, as well as bronze medals at the Paralympics in 1994 and 2002. In addition, Alexey has repeatedly won medals at the World and European Championships.

At the Paralympic Games in 2002 I started with fractures in my collarbone, ribs and a crack in my scapula….

One of the most difficult awards in the athlete’s piggy bank is a bronze medal at the Paralympics in 2002. Back in 2001, during the World Cup, the athlete broke his collarbone. Because of this he could not take part in the competition, but began to prepare for the Paralympics. However, the athlete was again unlucky. A few weeks before the Games, he broke his collarbone during training, and his ribs and shoulder blade were also injured. Once again, Moshkin showed strength of character and spirit. Alexey was determined to compete. At the Paralympics, the Russian athlete managed to win a bronze medal in the slalom discipline despite a serious injury.

The story about the Paralympic Games in Albertville in 1992, which is shown in the movie, actually happened to Moshkin. At that time, the future Paralympic champion could have been disqualified. Moshkin failed to pass a fellow competitor who needed help and was late for the start. He was eventually allowed to compete and won gold. However, the French team filed a protest, as a result of which Alexey Moshkin was stripped of his gold medal in favor of an athlete from France. Despite this, the French athlete, who took first place as a result, handed the medal to Moshkin himself.

Despite injuries and difficult life situations, the Russian athlete has never given up on his goal. Since childhood he aspired to become a champion, and he was itching to do so. Only in 2010, Honored Master of Sports and two-time champion of the Winter Paralympic Games Alexey Moshkin finished his professional career.

Now Alexey Moshkin speaks at various conferences and forums in front of young people, gives master classes. And, of course, together with other actors and the director of the picture takes part in private screenings, as well as in discussions of the movie “From the bottom of the peak”.