US Ski Team Announces Nominated Paralympic Athletes
The Winter Olympics might be over, but the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympic Winter Games are just getting ready to kick off. From March 6-15, 2026, the finest Paralympic athletes will gather in Milan Cortina to compete in Para Alpine skiing, para-biathlon, para cross country skiing, para ice hockey, para snowboarding, and wheelchair curling.
Team USA will be represented by 32 athletes at the Paralympic Winter Games, with 11 skiers and six snowboarders competing in the 79 medal events across the ski and snowboard disciplines. U.S. Ski & Snowboard has nominated 32 athletes to represent Team USA based on pre-determined criteria. Athletes will be officially announced to Team USA on March 2, 2026.
Representing the USA in the seated alpine ski discipline are notably Laurie Stephens and Andrew Kurka, both of whom have competed in multiple Paralympic Games. Stephens will return for her sixth Paralympic games in 2026 and currently holds two gold medals, two silver, and three bronze Paralympic medals. Milan Cortina will mark Kurka's third Paralympic games, although he qualified for Sochi 2014 and was unable to compete due a crash in training. Kurka holds two Paralympic medals currently–a gold in sitting downhill and silver in super-G from Pyeongchang 2018.
Team USA also has a particularly strong Paralympic Snowboard team, which includes Brenna Huckaby, the most decorated Para snowboarder in the world. Huckaby is currently the reigning Paralympic banked slalom medalist and Milan Cortina will mark her third Paralympic games. Huckaby is joined by other veteran Paralympic snowboarders Noah Elliott, who holds gold and bronze medals from Pyeongchang 2018, Mike Schultz, who holds a silver medal from Beijing 2022 and Pyeongchang 2018, and a gold from Pyoengchang 2018, and Keith Gabel, who returns for his fourth games with silver and bronze medals from Pyeongchang 2018 and Sochi 2014 respectively.
"This is the first Paralympic Games since Para alpine and Para snowboard have been reintegrated within U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and we couldn’t be more excited to support our team through these competitions,” said Anouk Patty, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport in a press release, “The athletes have been working incredibly hard throughout the season, and I know they are ready to shine in Italy.”
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The full Team USA Paralympic Ski & Snowboard rosters are as follows:
Marcus Hartmann/Getty Images
2026 US Paralympic Alpine Team
Women
Visually Impaired
- Meg Gustafson
Standing
- Audrey Crowley
- Allie Johnson
- Kelsey O'Driscoll
Sitting
- Hailey Griffin
- Saylor O'Brien
- Anna Soens
- Laurie Stephens
Men
Standing
- Noah Bury
- Patrick Halgren
- Andrew Haraghey
- Jesse Keefe
- Tyler McKenzie
- Michael O'Hearn
- Spencer Wood
Sitting
- Jasmin Bambur
- Matthew Brewer
- Ravi Drugan
- Blake Eaton
- Robert Enigl
- Andrew Kurka
- Kyle Taulman
- David Williams
2026 US Paralympic Snowboard Team
Women
LL1
- Brenna Huckaby
LL2
- Kate Delson
- Jackie Hamwey
Men
LL1
- Noah Elliott
- Mike Schultz
LL2
- Keith Gabel
- Zach Miller
- Joe Pleban