Milano Cortina 2026: Tudhope upholds true-blue Aussie record with silver medal

It’s lucky snowboard silver medallist Ben Tudhope has made a point of not getting ahead of himself. 

Handy because snowboard cross is so unpredictable. And useful when, in the first heat of the men's SB-LL2 category at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, he dislocated his shoulder on leaving the gate. 

“As much as you can prepare for a Paralympic Games, you don’t know how you’ll feel until you get there. So it’s about being in the moment and not letting my brain get too far ahead of itself,” he said. 

The on-course medical team patched Tudhope up, and he was right back in the moment. 

Unswerving focus 

“After that first heat, it was a dogfight,” he said. 

“I really had to focus in and centre myself, and not let any distractions get into my head. 

“I nailed the semifinal. That was probably one of my best races, sat out front the whole way. Then to get to the final is a dream come true for any Paralympian, Olympian, whatever. To be in that moment, I just soaked it in." 

In the final, he planned to tail and draft eventual gold medallist Emanuel Perathoner, but an error on turn four into five allowed the Italian to slip away. At one point, Tudhope feared being caught by the other riders, but he stuck to his game plan and sealed the silver. 

The Australian support erupted. 

"Seeing everyone across the finish line, down the side of the run, it's truly electrifying,” said Tudhope. “That's the word that keeps on coming up when anyone explains it.” 

Like many athletes, Tudhope missed the support of family, friends and fans at the Beijing 2022 Paralympics, which were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

But having his mum at the finish line in Cortina proved tricky. 

“I thought I wasn’t going to cry,” he said. “But me and my mum, we had this moment where we looked over to each other for the first time. And I got emotional. And I told my mum, ‘Look away, look away’. I don’t want to be a mess on the podium,” he said laughing. 

That Torah Bright moment 

Australian support, Aussie sport and even Australian sporting history are particularly meaningful to Tudhope. 

“When Torah Bright won that gold medal in Vancouver 2010 I wanted to watch the Olympics so badly that I stayed in bed, told my mum I was sick and I didn’t need to go to school. It was at that moment that I fell in love with the Olympic Movement.  

“And then it became quickly the Paralympic movement when I went only four years later.” 

That was Sochi 2014, and Tudhope, at 14, was the youngest athlete there. 

Now at his fourth Paralympic Winter Games, he took bronze at Beijing 2022 and has six World Championship medals, including gold in 2023. 

Underdog nation 

But he was particularly pleased to have his Milano Cortina 2026 silver in the bag. By Day 6, no other Australian had yet won a medal, and Tudhope knew someone has to uphold the nation’s record of winning a medal at every Winter Games since 1992. 

“We all have that mentality in us,” he said, ticking off the names of the Australian Winter Olympians who took home medals in February. “

We're pretty much the underdog nation. No one expects it from us, but we are out here to perform. 

“In Australia, Paralympic athletes are now in ads, they’re now on billboards.” Tudhope himself boasts sponsorship deals with prestige Australian brands. 

The grand master 

Tudhope lives in one of the most coast-bound suburbs in the country, Manly in Sydney. He likes to go home and forget all about snowboarding when possible. 

Though he grew up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, his family also had a home in Mount Buller and loved to ski.  

And if Tudhope’s two older sisters wanted to spend time on the slopes, they had to drag their younger brother along with them. (Sister Phoebe has also competed for Australia in moguls.) 

Tudhope was born with cerebral palsy. His parents were once told he might not walk, but he began skiing at three and snowboarding at eight.  

He remembers the early years well enough to give some pointed advice to anyone considering the sport. 

“You’ve got to spend a lot of time on your arse,” he said. 

“You’re going to get a lot of bruises. But just keep on progressing. Because the first week of snowboarding is going to be living hell, but when you get the hang of it, when you first get that carve and you can link turns, the progression after that is going to shoot you so far.  

“I always say skiing is easier to learn but harder to master; snowboarding is harder to learn but easier to master.” 

There will still be some who are more masterful than others, such as Perathoner, who Tudhope says is “the man”. Tudhope credits the Italian Olympian with raising the level of snowboarding since his switch to Para sport. 

“It’s insane,” said Tudhope, reflecting on his bronze in Beijing. 

“The competition has got so much harder throughout these four years.”

Pins and pizza 

Another change Tudhope has noted since his first Paralympic Games in Sochi is that his ardour for pin swapping has waned slightly, although he mentions a “super cool” pin given to him by a volunteer after his silver medal – “her own design of a Milano Cortina pin”. 

There’s no doubting Tudhope’s passion for food though. At the Paralympic Village, he particularly recommends the tiramisu and the focaccia pizza. 

“The tiramisu is absolutely incredible but it’s very hard to get,” he said. “Everyone wants the tiramisu from the food hall. So you go in, and if there is tiramisu there, you’d better take it even before you start your main meal. Then the focaccia pizza is top, top, top.” 

Tudhope is an effusive talker. He also describes himself as “a bit of a nerd” and “kind of an odd guy”. 

Exhibit one is his love of Star Wars, and specifically Star Wars socks. 

“I first wore them at X Games in 2016, and I achieved the first medal of my career,” he said. “From that moment onwards, I’ve worn Star Wars socks every day snowboarding and I’ve pretty much worn my Yoda socks every day when I compete. I wore the exact same socks in Beijing, and they gave me a bronze medal. And here they gave me a silver.” 

Best not stand too close to Tudhope when he unstraps his snowboard boots, as he says he plans to wear them until he gives up the sport. 

Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games  

Milano Cortina 2026, which takes place from 6-15 March 2026, is set to be the most beautiful Paralympic Winter Games yet. Ticket prices start at EUR 10 for children under 14, with approximately 89 per cent of the tickets available for EUR 35 or less.

For more information, please visit tickets.milanocortina2026.org