Paralympic silver for wicker in tesero

Germany's Anja Wicker has secured a stunning silver medal in the women's sit skiing 20km freestyle event at the Paralympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy.

Wicker outshines masters in thrilling finish

The 34-year-old Stuttgart native overcame treacherous conditions to finish the grueling race in 59:17.4 minutes, just 54.1 seconds behind South Korean teenager Yunji Kim.

In a major upset, Wicker left American superstar Oksana Masters in her wake, finishing over a minute ahead of the four-time Paralympic gold medalist from the US.

Wicker, who competed in all cross-country and biathlon events at the Paralympics, claimed her first-ever medal in cross-country skiing, adding to her existing silver and three bronze medals from the biathlon.

Despite the challenging weather, with sustained heavy rain that had turned the course into a mud bath, Wicker showed exceptional stamina and tactical prowess throughout the race.

From the start, she was in contention for the podium, and by the midpoint, she had closed the gap to just 12 seconds behind Kim and Masters, who had built a 15-second lead.

As the final kilometers approached, Wicker mounted her decisive charge, overtaking Masters to take the silver medal spot.