Milano Cortina 2026: Top moments from Day 1
China continues unbeaten streak in wheelchair curling mixed doubles Team USA star Oksana Masters claims 20th Paralympic medal All in the family - double gold for Austrian sibling sensations 07 Mar 2026
As the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games kicks off we're bringing you the cannot-miss sport updates and behind the scenes magic moments.
Para alpine skiing: Veronika and Johannes Aigner’s golden day
It was quite the day for the Aigner family who hail from the skiing powerhouse nation Austria. With the sun shining off the mountain peaks in Cortina, Para alpine skier Veronika Aigner sealed victory in the opening event of the Games, women’s downhill VI, to claim the first medal of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
Her brother Johannes quickly made it quite the family celebration at the finish line. He topped the podium a short time later in the men’s race to defend his title from Beijing 2022.
The dynamic duo is from a superstar Para alpine skiing family that netted nine medals in all including four golds at Beijing 2022. But this time their siblings are on the sidelines. One sibling Barbara is now retired, while Elisabeth who is a guide, is currently injured.
Veronika and Johannes are aiming for a mammoth 10 medal haul at Milano Cortina 2026.
Meanwhile, Norway's Jesper Pedersen added a sixth Paralympic gold to his collection in the men's sitting category.
“It's just really a dream come true being able to take the gold here today. Hopefully I can get to do this for many more years to come,” he said.
Para biathlon: A masterclass by Oksana Masters
The force of nature that is Team USA’s Oksana Masters extended her Paralympic medal collection to a nice round number of 20, between the summer and winter Games.
Masters won her 10th Paralympic gold medal in the women’s Para biathlon 7.5km sprint sitting event at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, out sprinting teammate Kendall Gretsch in the final lap. Germany’s Anja Wicker rounded out the podium.
“Oh my gosh, my emotions are just pure shock. I did not expect this,” Masters said.
It was a less-than-ideal lead up to these Games for Masters.
“The summer started out with surgery and then the last three weeks have been just absolutely a lot of time away from training, with infection and with a concussion,” she said. “This is why this just means so much more, I did not expect this."
The 36-year-old who is Team USA’s most decorated winter Paralympian is also a Paralympic champion in Para cross-country skiing as well in Para cycling in the summer Games.
Meanwhile, Para biathlon powerhouse Ukraine continued its dominance with Oleksandra Kononova picking up a gold in the women’s standing event, sharing the podium with teammate Liudmyla Liashenko who netted bronze. Countryman Taras Rad triumphed with gold in the men’s sitting category.
At Beijing 2022, Ukraine claimed an extraordinary 22 medals in Para biathlon - eight gold, nine silver and five bronze.
Wheelchair curling: China off to winning start
China’s mixed team is looking for a golden hat trick and started out with a win on day one in the round robin against USA 12-7. The Chinese team is defending their title from Beijing 2022 and PyeongChang 2018.
“We've kicked off the competition with a win. This sets a solid foundation for future matches, so we'll keep working hard and give it our all," skip Haitao Wang said.
Meanwhile in the inaugural mixed doubles competition, China remains undefeated at top of the standings. Meng Wang and Jinqiao Yang have made a formidable partnership registering wins against Japan, Latvia, Italy and the Republic of Korea.
On Saturday they added a victory against Estonia, taking down the European country 12-2 in only seven ends.
Several of the evening’s mixed team matches were close fought. Notably, Italy nearly came back from a 9-2 deficit against curling powerhouse Canada, who finally prevailed 9-8.
There were also tight wins for Great Britain over the USA, and Sweden against Republic of Korea, whereas Latvia defeated Slovakia 9-0.
Para snowboard: Tyler Turner's title defense
Defending champion Tyler Turner of Canada seeded the fastest qualifying time in the Para snowboard cross men’s SB-LL1 event - 51.72 seconds. He edged out Dutch rider Chris Vos.
The snowboard cross finals take place on Sunday, March 8, but this time Turner knows it is going to be a battle to get to the top of the podium.
“No one knew who I was in Beijing, I just came out of nowhere. Now, I've got a target on my back every time,” Turner told reporters.
"If someone beats me, they're very excited to beat me. I feel it... But that's fine. That keeps pushing this sport to the next level, and I'm grateful to be a part of that."
Para ice hockey: Action kicks off in Milan
Para Ice hockey action kicked off at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which also hosted the Olympic hockey finals.
China had a resounding win over Germany 12-0 while Czechia outclassed Japan 3-2.
Five-time gold medallists USA confirmed their reputation with a 14-1 win over Italy.
But coach David Hoff was keen that the team not get carried away.
“The goal we set as a team is to win a gold medal, but our focus is on performance and what we have to do each day to make sure, as an individual, that we're playing well, that the trajectory is right. We don't want this to be the best one that we played.”
Canada, the only other nation with a Paralympic gold, beat Slovakia 8-0.
Where to watch and listen to the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games
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
