The U.S. males’s sled hockey staff celebrates after successful its fifth straight Paralympics gold medal on Sunday.
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Stefano Rellandini/AFP through Getty Pictures
Workforce USA completed second within the total Paralympics medal rely, after 10 days of competitors during which American athletes made dazzling debuts, defended titles and cemented legacies.
One of many many made-for-TV moments got here simply hours earlier than the closing ceremony on Sunday, when the U.S. sled hockey staff defeated rival Canada to assert its document fifth gold medal in a row.
“You do not ever begin out and attempt to be the one five-time gold medalist within the sport,” stated captain Josh Pauls after personally attaining that very feat. “However to be with these guys, to steer them and sort of move on that custom, it is the final word honor.”
The day — and the Video games — ended with the closing ceremony in Cortina d’Ampezzo, that includes performances, speeches and the extinguishing of the Paralympic flame. American skiers Kendall Gretsch and Andrew Kurka, who’re each leaving Italy with new medals, carried the flag for Workforce USA.
“I have been concerned in 4 Video games and have solely been capable of go to 2 closing ceremonies: in PyeongChang, the place I received my gold and silver, and this yr, the place I received my bronze,” stated Kurka, who medaled in males’s super-G. “It has been a profession crammed with ups and downs, however even the small victories rely for me.”
Andrew Kurka and Kendall Gretsch carry the U.S. flag throughout the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Video games closing ceremony in Cortina on Sunday.
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On the ceremony, Worldwide Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons declared the Video games — the fiftieth anniversary of the Winter Paralympics — formally over, and a hit: “The most important and most stunning Winter Paralympics with extra athletes, extra nations, extra ladies and extra international broadcast and digital protection than ever earlier than.”
A document 611 athletes from 55 nations competed in 79 medal occasions throughout six sports activities.
China topped the medal rely for the second Winter Video games in a row, with 44 complete medals (15 gold), adopted by the U.S. with 24 complete medals, together with 13 gold. The U.S. improved on its fifth-place standing from 2022. This is identical variety of gold medals it received in 2018, in what officers are calling its “strongest gold-medal displaying within the final 20 years.”
A complete of 28 American Paralympians and two guides reached the rostrum this yr. Six of them received medals for the primary time, and 6 of them earned a number of medals, in line with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
In third place — each total and in gold medals — was Russia, which was allowed to take part beneath its personal flag for the primary time since 2014 regardless of its ongoing struggle in Ukraine. Ukrainian athletes boycotted each the opening and shutting ceremonies in protest.
However even in a second of intense geopolitical upheaval, amid conflicts in Europe and the Center East, the IPC’s Parsons stated the Paralympics supplied “proof that sport can unite us by way of respect, equity and human achievement.”
“Paralympians, you rose above stress, expectation and international rigidity to maintain the main focus the place it belongs: on you and your sport,” he stated. “You expanded the creativeness of the world. You might have proven that excellence is common and that dedication is aware of no boundaries.”
Parsons handed the proverbial torch to the following Winter Paralympics host: the French Alps for 2030. These will comply with the 2028 Summer time Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles.
Workforce USA highlights
Workforce USA’s Declan Farmer, middle, fights for the puck throughout the gold-medal match towards Canada.
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Antonio Calanni/AP
On the ice:
The U.S. sled hockey staff obtained off to a powerful begin in an early-round match towards Italy, when it beat the host nation 14-1 — the most important margin of victory within the sport’s U.S. historical past.
It stayed dominant, outscoring opponents 46-6 all through the match earlier than changing into the primary Paralympic or Olympic staff to win 5 consecutive winter gold medals.
“You will take pleasure in one thing like this, for certain,” Coach David Hoff stated afterward. “However I do not know if it is simply the wins. It is a lot greater than that. They simply love enjoying collectively.”
Workforce USA beat Canada 6-2 on Sunday, due to a hat trick from Jack Wallace — who was named “finest defender” of the match — and targets by Kayden Beasley, Brody Roybal and four-time Paralympian Declan Farmer.
Farmer, the highest scorer and official MVP of those Video games, scored 15 targets and 26 factors all through the match to turn out to be the all-time main scorer in Paralympic sled hockey historical past at simply 28 years previous. However he was fast to share the credit score together with his teammates.
“Lots of the fellows stepped up and had their finest video games of the match, and we simply carried one another,” stated Farmer. “I am simply so pleased for the fellows, we earned it collectively.”
You are forgiven you probably have deja vu from final month: This win makes the U.S. the primary nation to brush all three Olympic and Paralympic hockey tournaments in a single yr.
Workforce USA additionally made historical past in wheelchair curling, with Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer ending fourth within the brand-new blended doubles occasion. That is america’ best-ever Paralympic end within the sport.
“Within the two years we have been collectively, we have proven the world what we’re able to doing and we’ll go house, take a while off, calm down, re-group and are available again even higher subsequent yr,” stated Emt, probably the most adorned Paralympic roller in U.S. historical past.
In Para Nordic Snowboarding (cross nation and biathlon):
Oksana Masters competes within the para cross-country snowboarding 20km in Tesero, Italy, on Sunday.
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Luke Hales/Getty Pictures
Eight-time, dual-season Paralympian Oksana Masters, probably the most adorned Winter Paralympian in U.S. historical past, is leaving Italy with 4 new gold medals and a bronze in biathlon and cross-country snowboarding occasions, bringing her profession complete to 24 medals.
That is regardless of a concussion, an infection and harm that nearly saved her from competing within the first place.
“I believe that’s what makes it so particular, as a result of nothing is assured,” Masters informed NPR on Saturday. “A win’s not assured, and the rostrum’s not assured, and in order that’s been a extremely nice motivator for this entire … yr to date.”
4-time Paralympian Jake Adicoff, with guides Reid Goble and Peter Wolter, received 4 gold medals in 4 visually impaired snowboarding occasions to set a brand new document for probably the most Para cross-country golds received by a Workforce USA athlete in a single Video games.
Joshua Sweeney, Oksana Masters, Sydney Peterson, Jake Adicoff and his information Reid Goble of Workforce USA take part within the medal ceremony after the para cross-country snowboarding blended 4×2.5km relay.
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“It is extremely scary to place a excessive purpose out to the general public,” the 30-year-old stated. “I used to be doubting it a lot this week, I did not know what was going to occur, however the races got here collectively and I am simply overjoyed.”
A type of was the blended 4×2.5km relay, the place the all-star staff of Adicoff, Masters, Josh Sweeney and Sydney Peterson got here from behind within the last leg to defend the U.S. title.
Peterson, competing in her second Paralympics, received 4 medals — three of them gold — this time round.
And Kendall Gretsch, closing ceremony flag-bearer, received 4 medals at her third Winter Paralympics (and fifth complete): one gold, one silver and two bronze. That brings her complete medal rely to 11 throughout Summer time and Winter Video games.
In Alpine snowboarding:
Andrew Kurka competes within the super-G leg of the para Alpine snowboarding males’s mixed.
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Maja Hitij/Getty Pictures
Andrew Kurka received bronze within the males’s super-G sitting, including to his silver and gold from 2018.
“I am pleased to be right here. I am pleased to have an important profession. Gold, silver, and bronze, pleased to be accomplished,” stated Kurka, who wrote on Instagram after the closing ceremony that he’s stepping again from ski racing to cope with accidents.
In 2022, he competed with a damaged nostril, thumb and humerus bone, ending fourth within the sitting downhill occasion earlier than withdrawing from the remainder of competitors. Kurka stated in Italy that he is damaged over 20 bones in his profession.
“With regards to it, dropping is nothing in comparison with the ache of failure,” he stated after successful bronze. “And when it comes all the way down to immediately, I used to be simply pleased to get throughout that end line with none accidents and in a comparatively fast time. Normally, if I cross the end line, it is fairly quick.”
In the meantime, Patrick Halgren received silver within the males’s super-G standing occasion — the primary for Workforce USA since 1998.
Patrick Halgren celebrates after successful a silver medal within the alpine snowboarding males’s super-G standing on Monday.
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Emilio Morenatti/AP
Halgren, who wowed the web together with his successful efficiency and rock-star persona, devoted his win to Sven and referred to as it the “finest day of my life till tomorrow.”
“You rejoice the victories the identical because the defeats,” he added. “I have been blessed to must develop my character during the last 11 years, dropping my leg, and will both roll over and die, or I may turn out to be the best Patrick Halgren on Earth, and that is what you are seeing.”
In snowboarding:
Kate Delson, middle, and Brenna Huckaby, proper, of Workforce U.S. pose for a photograph on the rostrum throughout the medal ceremony for the para snowboard banked slalom.
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Three-time Paralympian Brenna Huckaby leaves Italy as probably the most adorned Paralympic snowboarder in historical past.
She received bronze within the ladies’s banked slalom occasion — which she dominated in 2022 — to carry her profession complete to 5 medals. That got here days after she completed sixth within the snowboard cross occasion, which she nonetheless noticed as a win.
“I am right here representing a really small portion of people that wish to see themselves represented,” Huckaby stated. “They wish to know that in the event that they lose their leg above the knee, life doesn’t finish. I achieved that right here just by being. So I am pleased.”
First-time Paralympian Kate Delson medaled in each of these occasions, successful gold within the banked slalom and silver in snowboard cross.
“I used to be simply stoked to be right here, I believe it is such a enjoyable course,” Delson stated after. “I obtained to get a medal with my teammate, [Huckaby], certainly one of my finest mates on the planet, that is unreal.”
On the boys’s aspect, Noah Elliott received gold within the banked slalom, a repeat of 2018, and silver in snowboard cross to double his profession medal rely.
Mike Schultz introduced house a bronze medal in his last Paralympics, for which he outfitted many athletes with their prosthetics.
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Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
And Mike Schultz earned his fourth profession medal — bronze in banked slalom — on the final race of his third and last Paralympics.
“To complete my final run and produce house a bronze medal, that is storybook stuff there,” Schultz stated in an emotional Instagram video after watching a compilation of congratulatory messages from his U.S. snowboarding teammates, whom he referred to as his household.
All of the whereas, the 44-year-old outfitted many para athletes — together with some who beat him — with high-performance prosthetics, a enterprise he has run for over a decade, which he plans to pursue in retirement.
