DAILY COUNTDOWN 2 – Veterans and breakout stars take on Snowboard Cross at Milano Cortina

Sunday (8 March) marks the second day of action at the Winter Paralympics, taking spectators to the heart of the Dolomites at the Cortina Para Snowboard Park. The venue will offer breathtaking views while promising thrilling competition.

Jacopo Luchini (ITA) is one of the many athletes set to compete at the park, on home snow, and he offered a unique insight into the course in a brief chat with FIS. The SB-UL competitor described it as ‘fun and challenging’, one that provides a high technical level.

Competition today will follow on from Saturday’s blockbuster day of action, where medals were on offer in six events across Para Alpine. Read on for the full breakdown of day two, where four sets of medals will be awarded on the snow.

Medal Events Day 2 – Sunday 8 March

Today’s ski and snowboard action will come from the Cortina Para Snowboard Park, as athletes chase the first Snowboard medals up for grabs at this edition of the Winter Paralympics. Here is Sunday’s medal schedule:

• 12:32 CET: Women’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL2 – Big Final – results

• 12:38 CET: Men’s Snowboard Cross SB-UL – Big Final – results

• 12:44 CET: Men’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL1 – Big Final – results

• 12:49 CET: Men’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL2 – Big Final – results

Quarter-finals in these events will commence from 11:00 CET on Sunday, beginning with the women’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL2.

Across the Games, a total of 58 Paralympic medal events will take place in ski and snowboard disciplines. 30 of those are in Alpine, 20 of which come in Cross-Country, and the remaining eight unfold in Snowboard.

• Click here for the full Winter Paralympic schedule

Athletes & Storylines to Watch

Women’s SB-LL2

This category combines athletes who qualify as SB-LL1 and SB-LL2, meaning the field is stacked with plenty of talent all on the hunt for Paralympic glory. Among the biggest of those is undoubtedly Brenna Huckaby (USA), a name synonymous with Para snowboard. Milano Cortina is her third Games, medaling at Beijing fours ago and PyeongChang eight years ago – Huckaby sealed back-to-back gold medals in Banked Slalom but will be looking to reclaim the top spot in the Cross event after finishing third in 2022.

Huckaby is in fine form this season finishing second in the Overall and Cross standings and third in Slalom. She was pipped to first in all of them by arguably her biggest threat to gold in compatriot Kate Delson (USA). The 20-year-old is having a remarkable breakout season that has seen her clinch nine World Cup podiums as she approaches her debut Games. Both Huckaby and Delson are leading a particularly strong U.S. delegation, with four Americans in the top ten of the Overall performers this season.

There is plenty of competition coming their way, namely Cécile Hernandez (FRA) who arrives in Italy as the defending Paralympic champion in this event. While there is no silver medalist from Beijing in Lisa DeJong, there is still interest on the Canadian front after Sandrine Hamel (CAN) finished third in the Snowboard Cross standings at the most recent World Cup. As always, there is equally a strong field of competitors from China, including Geng Yanhong (CHN) and Li Tiantian (CHN) who both medaled in Banked Slalom four years ago.

Men’s SB-UL

Four years ago, no doubt spurred on by a home crowd, China swept all the SB-UL medals on offer in the men’s Snowboard Cross. It was a sign of unprecedented dominance, something that gold medalist Ji Lijia (CHN) and silver medalist Wang Pengyao (CHN) would love to replicate at Milano Cortina. This season, however, has shown that the race for glory is wide open. 27-year-old Aron Fahrni (SUI) put on his own display of dominance by topping the World Cup standings in both events, prompting the Overall globe ahead of what will be his first outing on the Paralympic stage. Dean van Kooij (NED) is another breakout star of the last four years, while the likes of James Barnes-Miller (GBR) and Jacopo Luchini (ITA) are readying for their third Games in the hopes of clinching a first-ever Paralympic medal.

Men’s SB-LL1

For this category, it is the story of North America in the Snowboard Cross. The top four athletes in this season’s World Cup standings all hail from the continent, with Noah Elliott (USA) leading the way in all fronts. The best performing snowboarder in Cross over six stops, he is looking to better his third and sixth place finishes from PyeongChang and Beijing respectively. Challenging him is compatriot Mike Schultz (USA) who descends on Milano Cortina as a silver medalist from four years ago. In the two Games he has participated in so far, the 44-year-old has never finished outside the Cross podium.

Across the border, Canada watched two of their hopefuls contest this season in Tyler Turner (CAN) and Chase Jacob Nicklin (CAN). Turner is the defending champion from Beijing, while his compatriot is a 21-year-old Paralympics debutant who has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign over the last five months. Twice his senior, Bruno Bošnjak (CRO) has seemingly found his form again this term after picking up a Banked Slalom bronze in 2018. Wu Zhongwei (CHN) is also a name likely to be in the mix, having finished on the podium in 2022.

Men’s SB-LL2

In the men’s SB-LL2 category, it’ll be a special homecoming for Emanuel Perathoner (ITA) as he looks to translate his World Cup form to Paralympic form at Milano Cortina. The 39-year-old has utterly dominated this category over the last three years. 2025/26 marked the second consecutive season he topped all three standings, making him the heavyweight favorite coming into Sunday’s first contest. More importantly, while this is his debut Paralympics, Perathoner is a two-time Olympian – experience that will bode him well in his pursuit of a golden double.

U.S. duo Keith Gabel (USA) and Zach Miller (USA) are also in the mix for this race. The former is a two-time Paralympic medalist, picking up bronze in Sochi and silver in Pyeongchang. Miller, meanwhile, has hugely improved on his maiden outing four years ago when he finished ninth; he finished fourth in the Cross standings from the most recent World Cup. The likes of Ben Tudhope (AUS) and Ollie Hill (GBR) are also inside the World Cup top ten and could pose a challenge for the podium in this event.

Through My Eyes | A Special Letter

I Love Snow is a campaign that shines a light beyond results and podiums, focusing on the personal journeys that lead athletes to the Paralympic stage. In Through My Eyes | A Special Letter, selected competitors share their reflections on preparation, pressure and what it truly means to compete at these Games.

Today’s feature comes from Aron Fahrni (SUI), whose life has been shaped in the difficult moments, but ones he would not trade for anything.

I Love Snow

“I LOVE Snow – Passion Beyond Limits” brings fans closer to the athletes and stories that power snow sports across every FIS discipline – Olympic and Paralympic alike. The promise: authentic and emotional storytelling that turns moments into lasting fandom beyond Milano Cortina 2026.