The curtain has come down on the 2014 Winter Paralympics in a colourful and spectacular ceremony in Sochi. In front of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ceremony, which involved 462 performers and 8,000 volunteers, embraced the theme of "Reaching the Impossible."

A huge icebreaker ship makes its way during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Paralympics at the Fisht Olympic stadium in Sochi, Russia, Sunday, March 16, 2014.

547 athletes from 45 countries competed for the 72 golds and Russia were by far the strongest winning thirty gold, eighty medals in total.

The most medals ever won by a nation at a Winter Paralympic Games. The hosts were way ahead in the medal table. Second was Germany with nine. Canada came third.

Russia won twelve out of a twenty events in cross country skiing and were also strong in biathlon. This ceremony on the back of a successful winter olympics

The next Winter Games are in Pyeonchang in South Korea in 2018.

A huge icebreaker ship makes its way during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Paralympics at the Fisht Olympic stadium in Sochi, Russia, Sunday, March 16, 2014.