DAILY COUNTDOWN 8 – Slalom showdown and relay races define penultimate day of action

Saturday (March 14) is the penultimate day of action from the Winter Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026, with more medals to be won across FIS disciplines.

We’ll begin at Tesero Cross-Country, with the mixed and open relay events. We were due for action from Snowboard with the Banked Slalom, but that advanced to Friday (March 13), which means the women’s Slalom will be the final event of the afternoon.

Read on for a full breakdown of day eight, where five sets of medals will be won.

Medal Events Day 8 – Saturday, March 14

Here is the full medal schedule for day eight:

Alpine

• 13:00 CET: Women’s Slalom – vision impaired run 2 – results

• Followed by: Women’s Slalom – standing run 2 – results

• Followed by: Women’s Slalom – sitting run 2 – results

Cross-Country

• 10:00 CET: Mixed 4x2.5km Relay – results

• 11:15 CET: Open 4x2.5km Relay – results

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

Alpine: Women’s Slalom

It has been an absolute masterclass on the snow from Veronika Aigner (AUT), guided in GS/SL by Eric Digruber, taking home gold in three of the four events already contested. She clinched silver in the Super-G, making her one of two women’s VI skiers to medal in every event at Milano Cortina so far. Aigner ranked second for this race in the recent World Cup, though enters as the defending champion from four years ago and well-positioned to see out what has been her most successful Paralympic outing. Chiara Mazzel (ITA) – guided by Fabrizio Casal – has been right there alongside Aigner on every podium, topping the Super-G and really embracing competing at her home Games. Elina Stary (AUT) – guided by Stefan Winter – will be looking to translate World Cup form onto this stage, the teenager ranked as the best-performing Slalom skier across 2025/26.

Similarly in women’s Standing, Ebba Årsjö (SWE) has dominated the slopes of Cortina, winning gold in three events while taking home bronze in the Super-G. She has been the most consistent performer coming into her strongest race on the snow. German duo Anna-Maria Rieder (GER) and Andrea Rothfuss (GER) have not yet finished on the podium in Italy but, ranked second and third for this event in the World Cup this season, this could be their chance to do exactly that. Aurélie Richard (FRA) has been one of the most consistent skiers at these Games, on each of the podiums, and will no doubt be chasing that elusive gold in the final race.

In women’s Sitting, each podium has been a variation of four competitors: Anna-Lena Forster (GER), Audrey Pascual Seco (ESP), Muraoka Momoka (JPN), and Liu Sitong (CHN). The latter is the only skier to appear on all four, picking up bronze at each turn. Pascual Seco has won gold twice, along with silver, but was unable to finish the GS which throws into question whether or not she will be able to compete in SL. Momoka won silver in the Super-G and GS, though it seems the Slalom could be Forster’s chance for a third gold as the defending champion from Beijing.

Cross-Country: Mixed & Open relays

The mixed relay is one that heavily favors nations with depth across all classification categories, which is why it was unsurprising to see the USA take gold four years ago in Beijing. Oksana Masters, Sydney Peterson and Jake Adicoff – guided in Italy by Peter Wolter/Goble Reid – were part of that team. All of them have medaled at Milano Cortina, with Masters in particularly fine form, winning gold in all but one event so far. Adicoff and Petersen have both also topped the podium, making USA the team to beat. The open relay is an exciting event that can be made up of any number of athletes, classifications – there are no specific requirements. Ukraine were the victors of this race four years ago, but with such a varied number of medalists in the individual events so far at these Games, the field is wide open in terms of who the year’s champion could be.

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 Oksana Masters (USA), who has overcome so much to become one of the most decorated Paralympians, holding onto her resilient heart and her secret weapon: love.

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.