Canada Wins Silver & Bronze at Milano-Cortina Paralympics: Day 1 Recap
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – Canada has burst onto the medal table at the opening day of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, securing three medals in Para alpine skiing and Para nordic skiing. The breakthrough performances came from Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith, sit-skier Kurt Oatway, and Para nordic star Natalie Wilkie, signaling a strong start for the Canadian team.
Eriksson and Smith Claim Silver in Paralympic Debut
Kalle Eriksson, alongside his guide Sierra Smith, delivered a stunning silver medal performance in the men’s visually impaired downhill competition. The duo completed the course in at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, finishing behind Austria’s Johannes Aigner and Nico Haberl () and narrowly ahead of Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli and Andrea Ravelli (). This marks a particularly significant achievement as it was Eriksson’s Paralympic debut.
“Both me and Sierra are on top of the world right now and still pumping,” Eriksson said. “I can’t believe our run and I’m so proud of how we did it.”
Smith echoed Eriksson’s sentiment, acknowledging the strength of their performance. “It definitely wasn’t perfect but we hit the points we wanted to, and we skied very strong,” she said. “We had a good run obviously always room to improve. I’m super happy with our performance today.”
Eriksson and Smith, who have been competing together since 2022, have quickly established themselves as a force in Para alpine skiing, having previously secured silver medals in slalom and giant slalom at last year’s world championships and accumulating 22 career World Cup medals.
Oatway’s Triumphant Return to the Podium
Calgary’s Kurt Oatway added to Canada’s medal haul with a bronze in the men’s downhill sitting ski event. Oatway finished the race in , just behind Niels de Langen of the Netherlands () and victorious Jesper Pederson of Norway (). This medal represents a remarkable comeback for Oatway, who was sidelined from the 2022 Beijing Games due to severe injuries sustained in a crash at the 2022 Para Snow Sports World Championships – a broken collarbone, three broken ribs in five places, two torn ligaments, and a punctured lung.
“The road to coming back was long, but here I am, and I’ve got a piece of hardware to show for it,” Oatway said. He also hinted at the possibility of continuing his Paralympic journey, adding, “If I keep winning stuff, who knows? Maybe I’ll make another [Paralympic] cycle.”
Wilkie Secures Silver in Biathlon Sprint
The success continued for Canada in Para nordic skiing, with Natalie Wilkie claiming silver in the women’s standing sprint biathlon. Wilkie completed the course in with a clean shooting record at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme. She finished just 4.9 seconds behind Ukraine’s Oleksandra Kononova, with Liudmyla Liashenko of Ukraine taking bronze.
“It doesn’t feel real. This was a big goal of mine heading into the Games, to win a medal in biathlon, and to do it on the first day is so special,” Wilkie said.
Wilkie acknowledged the challenges she faces in biathlon, stating, “Compared to my competitors, I’m quite a slow shooter and so the time I make up is out on the course. I know I’m a pretty fast skier and today I felt really good. I was able to utilize that on the course.”
Mixed Results for Other Canadians
While the day was largely successful for Canada, not all athletes enjoyed the same fortune. Alexis Guimond, a medal hopeful in the men’s standing downhill, registered a DNF after losing his balance early in the race. Mollie Jepsen, the 2018 Paralympic gold medalist in the women’s standing downhill, finished just off the podium in fourth place, but revealed after the race that she had re-aggravated a lower-body injury and her participation in the remainder of the Games is uncertain.
In the men’s standing sprint biathlon, Mark Arendz of Hartsville, P.E.I., finished fifth in his fifth Paralympic Games appearance.
Russia Returns to the Paralympic Stage with Medals
The Milano Cortina Games also marked the return of Russian athletes competing under their own flag for the first time in 12 years. Varvara Voronchikhina and Aleksei Bugaev secured bronze medals in the women’s and men’s downhill standing competitions, respectively, prompting celebrations and a renewed sense of national pride.
“For us, it’s a really long time when we [were] without [the] flag, and I’m really glad and all my country and all my teammates, we [are] glad also,” said Voronchikhina.