Slovakian skier Henrieta Farkasova won the first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Paralympics in Pyeongchang on Saturday, while the USA clinched a hat-trick of victories as sporting action got under away at Games marked by a rapid inter-Korean thaw. 

The Paralympics opened on Friday with a glittering ceremony that mixed spectacular light shows and fireworks with traditional Korean performances and modern pop music.

Slovakia's Farkasova was the first to take gold, skiing to victory in the women's vision-impaired downhill category, accompanied by her guide Natalia Subrtova. 

She completed the course at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre in 1 minute 29.72 seconds, beating second-placed Millie Knight of Britain and her guide Brett Wild by 0.86 seconds.
 
The USA, who have the biggest team at the Paralympics with 69 athletes, got off to a good start, wining three golds, one silver and a bronze.
 
In the biathlon — which combines skiing and shooting — the Americans took gold and silver in the women's sit ski, with Kendall Gretsch coming first and Oksana Masters second.

American Daniel Cnossen, a former US Navy Seal, took gold in the men's sit ski. 

Andrew Kurka from Team USA won gold in the men's sitting downhill skiing, with Japan's Taiki Morii clinching silver.

In an echo of last month's Winter Olympics, 30 Russian athletes are competing as neutrals after the country was banned over allegations of state-sponsored doping.

Russian biathletes Ekaterina Rumyantseva, competing in women's standing, and Mikhalina Lysova, in the women's vision-impaired category, both won gold on Saturday.

Marie Bochet and Benjamin Daviet clinched France's first golds.  The medals came in women's standing downhill skiing and men's standing biathlon events.