All posts tagged: paralympics

2026 Paralympics brings Oksana Masters’ medal count to 24 : NPR

2026 Paralympics brings Oksana Masters’ medal count to 24 : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Oksana Masters poses with one of her gold medals in Italy. Out of her 24 total medals from both Summer and Winter Paralympics, 14 are gold. Buda Mendes/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Buda Mendes/Getty Images Multi-sport athlete Oksana Masters arrived in Milan Cortina as the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian in history, with 19 medals already under her belt from both summer and winter Games. But a series of setbacks had her wondering if she would add to her collection — let alone make it to the start line in Italy. Just two days before the opening ceremony, Masters announced on Instagram that she had been in and out of hospitals with a concussion and recurrent leg infection that kept her from training — not long after recovering from hand surgery for a torn ligament. She said she cried every day leading up to the Games, admitting, “I’m not the same skier as I was training to be.” But she didn’t give up. “I might not be my best, but I will have the …

2026 Winter Paralympics highlights Team USA : NPR

2026 Winter Paralympics highlights Team USA : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The U.S. men’s sled hockey team celebrates after winning its fifth straight Paralympics gold medal on Sunday. Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images Team USA finished second in the overall Paralympics medal count, after 10 days of competition in which American athletes made dazzling debuts, defended titles and cemented legacies. One of the many made-for-TV moments came just hours before the closing ceremony on Sunday, when the U.S. sled hockey team defeated rival Canada to claim its record fifth gold medal in a row. “You don’t ever start out and try to be the only five-time gold medalist in the sport,” said captain Josh Pauls after personally achieving that very feat. “But to be with these guys, to lead them and kind of pass on that tradition, it’s the ultimate honor.” The day — and the Games — ended with the closing ceremony in Cortina d’Ampezzo, featuring performances, speeches and the extinguishing of the Paralympic flame. American skiers Kendall Gretsch and Andrew Kurka, who are both leaving …

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Tasty Medals

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Tasty Medals

Published by José Betancourt

Maxim Thoré / Bildbyrån / Reuters Ebba Årsjö of Sweden poses for a portrait with her Paralympic gold and bronze medals after competing in the women’s para Alpine downhill, super-G, combined, and giant-slalom events on Day 9 of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games on March 15, 2026. Previously: March 14: Golden Smiles March 13: Giant Slalom March 12: Hard Crash March 11: Curling Gold March 10: Guided Speed Source link

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Golden Smiles

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Golden Smiles

Published by Sam Flores

Marco Mantovani / Getty Gold medalists Joshua Sweeney, Oksana Masters, Sydney Peterson, Jake Adicoff, and Adicoff’s guide Reid Goble of Team USA pose for a photo on the podium during the medal ceremony for the para cross-country skiing mixed 4×2.5-kilometer relay on Day 8 of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium. Previously: March 13: Giant Slalom March 12: Hard Crash March 11: Curling Gold March 10: Guided Speed March 9: Sled Hockey Source link

Nina Sparks exclusive: ‘I was diagnosed with scary MS 5 years ago – now I’m a Paralympic medalist’

Nina Sparks exclusive: ‘I was diagnosed with scary MS 5 years ago – now I’m a Paralympic medalist’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Before she has even touched the snowy slopes in Northern Italy’s Cortina, High Wycombe’s Nina Sparks is already making Paralympic Winter Games history. At 35 years old, she has conquered a feat many won’t ever achieve in their lifetime and has collected medals to prove it.   The athlete started her sporting journey in an unconventional way. Redefining the limitations of multiple sclerosis, she went from ‘ski mum’ at a school in Austria to slaloming her way to world champion status, all while dealing with a life-changing diagnosis that started with a numb foot and a blind eye.  Landing in Milan and travelling to Cortina, the Para Snowboarder was still taking in the eccentricities of the Olympic Village when she spoke to HELLO! ahead of her LL2 banked slalom event, which is raced against the clock on a course of tight turns.  Using an orthotic to walk and an ankle foot orthosis in her boot to help her on her board, the athlete will be vying for a spot on the podium in her category, …

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Hard Crash

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Hard Crash

Published by Sam Flores

Marco Mantovani / Getty Audrey Pascual Seco of Team Spain crashes during run one of the para Alpine-skiing-women’s giant-slalom sitting on Day 6 of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, on March 12, 2026. Pascual Seco, who has already won two gold medals and one silver earlier in these Paralympic games, was able to cross the finish line on her own. Previously: March 11: Curling Gold March 10: Guided Speed March 9: Sled Hockey March 8: Para Biathlon March 7: Flying Downhill Source link

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Curling Gold

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Curling Gold

Published by Sam Flores

Mattia Ozbot / Getty Jinqiao Yang and Meng Wang of Team People’s Republic of China celebrate victory in the wheelchair-curling mixed-doubles gold-medal match against Team Republic of Korea on day five of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on March 11, 2026. Previously: March 10: Guided Speed March 9: Sled Hockey March 8: Para Biathlon March 7: Flying Downhill March 6: Opening Ceremony Source link

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Guided Speed

Winter Paralympics Photo of the Day: Guided Speed

Published by José Betancourt

Dario Belingheri / Getty Team France’s Hyacinthe Deleplace, a visually impaired athlete, competes with the guide Perrine Clair during the super-G leg of the Para Alpine Skiing Men’s Alpine Combined Vision Impaired event on day four of the Winter Paralympic Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, in Italy, on March 10, 2026. In vision-impaired para-Alpine categories, skiers with complete or partial vision loss navigate runs with help provided by a sighted guide, communicating via radio. Previously: Source link