Paralympic stars shine at Milano Cortina 2026 test event
The IBU Para Biathlon World Cup and the FIS Para Cross-Country World Cup made a stop in Val di Fiemme, which will stage 38 medal events at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games 03 Feb 2025
Para cross-country skiing and Para biathlon athletes competed on the same courses that will host events at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. The IBU Para Biathlon World Cup and the FIS Para Cross-Country World Cup made a stop in Val di Fiemme, Italy, serving as the official test event for the Games, which will open in just over a year.
Val di Fiemme will host Para cross-country skiing and Para biathlon competitions at the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, which take place from 6-15 March 2026.
Get ready for Milano Cortina 2026
The two-day Para cross-country skiing competition featured events at the Lago di Tesero Cross-Country Stadium, with victories spread across six nations: Brazil, China, Germany, Norway, the USA, and Austria.
It showcased the excitement and the level of competition that fans can expect next year. Brazil’s Cristian Westemaier Ribera edged China’s Mengtao Liu in a spectacular finish in the men’s sprint sitting event. Local favourite Giuseppe Romele finished third.
Brazil made their Paralympic Winter Games debut at Sochi 2014 and are seeking their first medal.
“I feel really good. We’ve worked a lot in Brazil and trained hard,” said Ribera, who competed at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022. “It almost feels like a different sport here, and I have to adapt to the snow a bit.”
“But we are doing very well, and I’m very proud of myself, my team, and my brother, who is my coach. I want to dedicate this victory to my niece.”
China’s Yuxin Zhai came from behind to win the women’s sitting category over Germany’s Anja Wicker and Kendall Gretsch of the United States.
Sebastian Marburger of Germany topped the podium in the men’s standing event, while Norway’s Vilde Nilsen stormed to victory in the women’s standing race.
Nilsen, who claimed two medals at Beijing 2022, said she liked the course in Val di Fiemme.
“I’m really happy,” Nilsen said. “Today, the track conditions were difficult to interpret, but my team did a fantastic job with the equipment. I really liked the course, and the conditions were very good. I’m very satisfied with this achievement.”
Austria’s Carina Edlinger had a perfectly executed race in the women’s vision impaired category, finishing ahead of Germany’s Leonie Maria Walter and China’s Yue Wang.
Counting down to the Games
The 10 km individual classic race crowned Kendall Gretsch (USA) and Zhongwu Mao as winners in the sitting category, Nilsen and Witold Skupien of Poland in the standing category, and Simona Bubenickova and Jake Adicoff in the vision impaired category.
After taking the silver medal in the women’s sitting category, Aline Dos Santos Rocha of Brazil said she was impressed with the course.
“I really needed a race like this! Yesterday, I fell in the sprint final, throwing away all my hard work, but today, I’m really happy with my performance. Since finishing my races in Paris 2024, I’ve been focused on preparing for Milano Cortina 2026, and I can’t wait!
“Val di Fiemme is beautiful.”