Natalie Wilkie Wins Paralympic Bronze, Completes Medal Set at Milano-Cortina 2026
Wilkie Completes Paralympic Medal Set, Canada Adds to Tally at Milano Cortina
VAL DI FIEMME, Italy – Canada’s Natalie Wilkie added a bronze medal in the women’s standing sprint classic on , completing a remarkable set of gold, silver, and bronze at the Milano-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games. The 25-year-old from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, has now amassed 10 Paralympic medals throughout her career.
Wilkie finished the sprint classic in a time of three minutes 40.2 seconds, placing behind Norway’s Vilde Nilsen (3:31.3) and American Sydney Peterson (3:35.5) at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium. This marks her first cross-country skiing medal in Italy, following gold and silver medals earned in biathlon events earlier in the Games.
“It’s pretty awesome. My team’s preparations have been really great this year,” Wilkie said, reflecting on her success.
The Canadian Para nordic skier was the top qualifier for the sprint and boasted the fastest overall semifinal time of 3:31.4. Despite falling short of gold on this occasion, the bronze medal solidifies her status as a dominant force in Paralympic competition.
A Full Set of Medals for a Three-Time Paralympian
Wilkie’s achievement is particularly noteworthy as she has now won a complete set of medals – gold, silver, and bronze – at three consecutive Paralympic Games: PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022, and now Milano-Cortina 2026. She secured gold in the individual biathlon on , and silver in the sprint biathlon on .
The support from her family was evident, with her sister Madeleine, a recent competitor at the Junior World Ski Championships in Lillehammer, Norway, cheering her on from the stands alongside their parents and friends. “It’s so great. My parents and sister are in the stands, my other friends are cheering for me as well, and then of course there are the other athletes, staff, wax techs and stuff — everyone is out here cheering and it’s just awesome to see that support all around the course,” Wilkie said.
Despite her disappointment with the day’s result, Wilkie expressed gratitude for the encouragement she received. “I was a bit disappointed with today’s result and it was so nice to have my mom in the stands to give me a big hug after the race.”
Canada’s Medal Count Continues to Grow
With Wilkie’s bronze, Canada’s medal tally at the Milano-Cortina Paralympics now stands at eight through four days of competition: one gold, three silver, and four bronze. The full medal table is available here.
Looking Ahead: Biathlon and Relay Opportunities
Wilkie has two individual events remaining: the sprint pursuit biathlon on and the 20-kilometre interval start free cross-country race on . She has chosen to skip Wednesday’s 10km interval start classic to conserve energy for her biathlon finale.
Wilkie is eligible for the 4×2.5km mixed cross-country relay on , presenting her with an opportunity to equal the record for Canada’s most decorated female Winter Paralympian, currently held by Lana Spreeman with 13 medals. Wilkie has previously contributed to Canada’s success in the mixed relay, earning silver in 2018 and bronze in 2022.
Other Canadian Results
In the men’s standing sprint classic, Mark Arendz of Hartsville, Prince Edward Island, finished last in the six-man final with a time of 2:49.7. The race was won by Belarus’ Raman Svirydzenka (2:35.4), followed by Germany’s Sebastian Marburger (2:38.1) and France’s Benjamin Daviet (2:42.2).
In Para alpine, Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith narrowly missed the podium in the men’s combined event, finishing just 0.05 seconds behind the medalists. The Canadian duo, who secured downhill silver and super-G bronze earlier in the Games, posted a total time of 1:57.51, just behind Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli and Andrea Ravelli (1:56.42), who took gold. Great Britain’s Neil Simpson and Rob Poth claimed silver (1:57.07), while Austria’s Johannes Aigner and Nico Haberl secured bronze.
Canada Dominates in Wheelchair Curling
Canada’s wheelchair curling team, led by Mark Ideson, remains undefeated after a 9-4 victory over China. The Canadian rink improved to 5-0 in round-robin play, defeating the reigning Paralympic and world champions. Canada faces Sweden (4-1) on at 1:35 p.m. ET.
“China is reigning Paralympic champion [and] reigning world champion for a good reason. They’re a great team,” said third Jon Thurston. “It’s always good battles between us. We bought our best game today.”
Canada has reached the podium in wheelchair curling at every Paralympics since the sport’s inclusion in 2006, winning the first three gold medals and taking bronze at the last two editions.