In Alaska

went under the finish line at 3 am local time Wednesday.

“I don’t know what to say about it. It’s out of this world,” he said before hugging each of his dogs. His supporters crowded the finish line, one waving Norway’s flag.

Ulsom’s victory generated heavy media attention in Norway, a winter sports nation still basking in the glory of winning the most medals at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

“This is completely insane. It’s fantastic to win this race here,” Ulsom said, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. “It was rather tough. It was hard to keep my tears back when I crossed the finish line.”

The 31-year-old, who took the lead Monday when Nicolas Petit got off course in a blizzard, became the third person born outside the US to claim the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. He’s also the second Norwegian after Robert Sorlie, a two-time winner who cheered Ulsom’s progress along the trail.

Ulsom said he had no idea he had Kazakhstan’s first ever gold medallist in the Winter Paralympics after storming to victory in crosscountry skiing.

Alexandr Kolyadin comes from a small town in the vast Central Asian country, and when he’s not racing over snow in skiing competitions, he’s crafting models out of it.

Kolyadin, who lost his right leg in a car accident, makes up to 10 sculptures a week, from models of trains to animals and even Winnie the Pooh.

They are displayed around his hometown in public places, such as the town square and post office.

On Wednesday the 45-year-old won gold in cross-country skiing, in the 1.5 km sprint standing category, making him the former Soviet republic’s first Winter Paralympics gold medal winner.

“I am proud for the country that they made the right choice and got me here, took me into the national team,” he said.

But Kolyadin, who uses a prosthetic leg when he’s competing, added there was no time for a break as he needed to prepare for other races in the Games.

“We will not rest. We will drink some tea and continue working,” he said.

Despite sending only two novice athletes, and during a major charm offensive with the outside world, there is hope that North Korea’s Winter Paralympics debut might signal progress for the country’s often harshly treated disabled.

Wheelchair-bound Kim Jong Hyon and Ma Yu Chol only started sit-skiing three months ago, so it was little surprise when they finished at or near the back of the field in their two races in Pyeongchang.

However, they were cheered enthusiastically by South Koreans, who have witnessed the North’s rapid warming of ties with Seoul and Washington during the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Pyeongchang.

North Korea is notorious for its record on human rights, and accounts from the country suggest a dismal fate for its disabled citizens.

But the United Nations special rapporteur on disabled people’s rights, who visited North Korea last year, also told AFP that the isolated country was “very proud” of its support for para sports.

“This I believe is a good sign of how North Korea wants to support the participation of persons with disabilities,” Catalina Devandas-Aguilar said.