USA & China Dominate: Para Cross-Country Skiing Finals See Clean Sweeps & Historic Wins

Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium witnessed a flurry of historic performances as the Para cross-country skiing events concluded at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. The final day of competition, punctuated by falling snow, saw clean sweeps, personal bests, and emotional victories for athletes from the United States, Italy, China, and the Republic of Korea.

American Dominance in Cross-Country Skiing

The United States team continued its remarkable run, solidifying Para cross-country skiing as its most successful sport of the Games. Jake Adicoff, competing in the men’s vision impaired category, achieved a feat rarely seen in Paralympic competition: a clean sweep of gold medals. Guided by Peter Wolter, Adicoff secured his fourth gold in the 20km interval start free event, fulfilling a long-held ambition.

“Four races, four gold medals, that was the goal. It was really hard but it was so rewarding to do it. That was my goal since four years ago, it’s been in my mind ever since then,”

Jake Adicoff

Adicoff’s success was echoed by Sydney Peterson in the women’s standing event, who as well added a gold medal to her collection, bringing her total Games haul to four medals – three gold and one silver – from six events. Peterson expressed her surprise and satisfaction with the result.

“I’m in shock. I indicate, I don’t know how that happened. I just felt fine racing and I just kept going,”

Sydney Peterson

The U.S. Team’s performance contributed 11 of the nation’s 23 total medals at the Games, highlighting the strength and depth of the American Para cross-country skiing program.

Italian Pride and a Bronze Medal

Amidst the American success, Italy celebrated its first Paralympic medal at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium. Guiseppe Romele secured a bronze medal in the men’s 20km interval start sitting event, igniting cheers from the home crowd. The result matched Romele’s bronze medal performance in the middle distance sitting event at the Beijing 2022 Games.

“It was an extremely difficult race, probably one of the most important and complex of my sporting career,”

Guiseppe Romele

Romele finished behind China’s Zhongwu Mao (silver) and Russia’s Ivan Goblubkov (gold). Italy’s overall medal count at the Games reached 16, with 12 medals in Para alpine skiing and three in Para snowboard adding to the cross-country success.

China’s Podium Takeover in Men’s Standing

The men’s standing 20km competition saw a dominant performance from the Chinese team, who swept the podium. Chenyang Wang claimed gold with a factored time of 45:50.2, followed by compatriots Lingxin Huang (silver) and Xiaobin Liu (bronze). This victory marked Wang’s second gold medal of the Games, adding to his triumph in the open 4×2.5km relay.

“When I got the schedule for the Paralympics, I practised a lot for that and got prepared. In the third or fourth lap, I started to perceive a bit tired and my time increased a bit, so in the final lap I tried my best to win some extra time to win the gold medal,”

Chenyang Wang

Huang expressed the significance of the team’s achievement for the development of winter sports in China.

“I’m very proud that the Chinese team won three medals in this race. It really means a lot to the development of Chinese winter sport. It means a lot to me as well.”

Lingxin Huang

China’s impressive performance in Para cross-country skiing, with a total of 13 medals, combined with 15 medals in Para biathlon, contributed significantly to their overall Games total of 44 medals.

A Debut to Remember for Korea’s Kim

The Republic of Korea celebrated a breakthrough performance from Yunji Kim, who secured her second gold medal and fifth medal overall in the women’s sitting 20km race. This marked a historic moment as the country’s first individual female medallist at the Paralympic Winter Games.

“I’m so happy as I didn’t know that I would win a gold medal today. It was my first 20km race, and I’m so excited.”

Yunji Kim

Kim finished ahead of Germany’s Anja Wicker and the United States’ Oksana Masters, having previously taken silver behind Masters in the last two individual Para cross-country races. She expressed her admiration for Masters and her determination to compete with her again in future Games.

Wicker’s First Cross-Country Medal

For Germany’s Anja Wicker, the silver medal in the women’s sitting 20km race held special significance as her first-ever medal in Para cross-country skiing. Wicker, a decorated biathlete, had long sought success in cross-country skiing.

“I have a lot of biathlon medals but I’ve not gained a cross-country medal before. This was the big dream to get one, and to win it in the 20km is insane,”

Anja Wicker

Wicker described the race as one of her best, praising her form and flow after six races at the Games. The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games concluded with a resounding display of athleticism, determination, and national pride, leaving a lasting legacy for Para cross-country skiing and the athletes who competed.