Milano Cortina 2026: Ones to watch in Para snowboard

The world’s best Para snowboarders are set to race out of the gates and carve down tight turns to Paralympic glory. 

At the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, champions will be crowned in eight medal events at the Cortina Para Snowboard Park – in banked slalom and snowboard cross. 

Here are 10 Para snowboarders to watch when the Games open on 6 March.

Emanuel Perathoner (Italy)

Emanuel Perathoner will be competing just a few hours from his Italian hometown when he makes his Paralympic debut. Perathoner, who competed at the Olympic Winter Games before transitioning to Para snowboard, won nine of 10 races in the men’s SB-LL2 category in the 2025-2026 season and is favourite to take dual gold medals in front of a home crowd.

Ben Tudhope (Australia) 

A bronze medallist at Beijing 2022, Ben Tudhope was only 14 years old when he debuted at the Sochi 2014 Paralympics. Tudhope, who competes in the men’s SB-LL2 category, has been the first Australian winter athlete to win 50 medals in World Cup competition.

Lijia Ji (China)  

Lijia Ji hopes to maintain momentum in Italy, four years after winning gold in the men’s snowboard cross SB-UL and a silver in the banked slalom SB-UL on his Paralympic debut on home soil. He won double gold at the 2025 World Championships in Big White, Canada.

Jacopo Luchini (Italy)

Jacopo Luchini has high hopes of becoming a home Games hero at Milano Cortina 2026, which will be his third Paralympic appearance. Also an elite surfer, Luchini celebrated seven World Cup podium finishes in the 2025-2026 season, including a gold in the men’s banked slalom SB-UL event in Steamboat, USA, in February.

Noah Elliott (USA)

Team USA’s Noah Elliott scored a gold in the men’s banked slalom SB-LL1 event and a bronze medal in the snowboard cross at PyeongChang 2018. Four years ago, he finished outside of the medals in Beijing, but he won six World Cup golds in the 2025-2026 season, indicating he has got his mojo back.

Tyler Turner (Canada)

Tyler Turner stormed to victory in the men’s snowboard cross SB-LL1 event and picked up bronze in the banked slalom at Beijing 2022. The sky diving instructor won a World Cup men’s snowboard cross LL1 event in Canada in late January and has claimed three straight World Championship titles in the past four years.

Mike Schultz (USA)

Three-time Paralympic medallist Mike Schultz netted gold and silver in the men’s SB-LL1 classification at PyeongChang 2018 and a silver four years later in Beijing. Monster Mike, 44, will be a veteran of the field at Milano Cortina 2026. He has been in lethal form of late – with a big win in the World Cup in February and a smattering of podium finishes early this year.

Kate Delson (USA)

Paralympic debutant Kate Delson is gearing up to make an impact at her first Games. The 2025-26 World Cup overall Crystal Globe winner has topped the podium five times since November.

Lisa Bunschoten (Netherlands)  

Lisa Bunschoten returns to the Winter Paralympics, with a busy life on and off the snow as a new mother and wife of fellow Para snowboarder Chris Vos. Bunschoten is hoping her fourth Winter Paralympics will be her best yet. She claimed a silver in the women’s snowboard cross SB-LL2 and a bronze in banked slalom at PyeongChang 2018. Most recently, she overcame a shin bone fracture to clock double World Cup wins in the USA in February.

Nianjia Hu (China)

Nianjia Hu finished outside the podium on her Paralympic debut at Beijing 2022. Last year, the 23-year-old proved her mettle with a bevvy of second- and third-place finishes at World Cup races in Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands.

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