Milano Cortina 2026 top moments: USA
Team USA finished second on the overall medals table with 24 medals, including 13 golds 10 Apr 2026
The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games featured 79 medal events across six sports – Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling.
Team USA closed the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics with one of its strongest performances in recent history, finishing second overall in the medal standings. Represented by 72 athletes, including four guides, the USA competed in all six sports, earning a total of 24 medals, including 13 golds.
Eight-time Paralympian Oksana Masters finished as the delegation’s most decorated athlete with four gold medals and one bronze. Here are the USA’s top moments from the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
Team USA win fifth straight Para ice hockey gold
The US Para ice hockey team continued its reign at the top of the sport, capturing its fifth consecutive gold medal in front of a record crowd of 10,795 spectators. The team defeated Canada 6-2 in the gold medal game, completing a Milano Cortina 2026 hockey title sweep for the USA following the women’s and men’s Olympic hockey victories in February.
Declan Farmer was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after leading all players with 26 points in five games. His performance set a new record for the most points scored at a single Paralympic Winter Games.
After securing gold, Farmer spoke about the emotions surrounding the final.
“So much pressure builds up to it. This was the most anxious I was for any gold-medal game in my whole career, and that's why we're a team,” he said. "Some people, a lot of the guys, stepped up and had their best games of the tournament, and we just carried each other. I'm just so happy for the guys, we earned it together. This group is great."
Oksana Masters and Jake Adicoff headline medal haul in Val di Fiemme
In Val di Fiemme, the USA captured 10 gold medals at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium. Competing in her eighth Paralympic Games, Masters added five medals to her career total, including a career-defining 10th gold medal.
After her final event, Masters reflected on her impact on the sport.
“My main thought is that I hope I inspired so many young, new generation of cross-country skiers and biathletes to fall in love with the sport, knowing that you can have the highs of highs and lows of lows and keep coming back and showing up, being the best version of you,” she said.
Jake Adicoff delivered a perfect Games, winning four gold medals in four events. Kendall Gretsch earned four medals, while Sydney Peterson claimed three golds during the competition.
Andrew Kurka completes Paralympic medal set
Para alpine skiing legend Andrew Kurka completed his set of Paralympic medals by winning bronze in the men’s super-G sitting event. The medal added to his gold and silver performances from the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. Jeroen Kampschreur won gold, while Norway’s Jesper Pedersen claimed silver.
Kurka, a three-time Paralympian, also carried the US flag alongside Gretsch during the Closing Ceremony. He retired after the Games, according to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, leaving a legacy on the snow.
Reflecting on his career, Kurka said, “Sport in general, especially Paralympic sport, it changed my life, and I think it changes so many lives. Because people after they get injuries, or after they have become disabled, they find themselves in a lull, being told what they can't do and not being told what they can do.”
“To be able to come out here and basically race a motorcycle down a mountain on ice is something that we can do, and it's super fun.”
