The U.S. Paralympic Team arrives in Italy with championship pedigree and unfinished business
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has announced its 72-member delegation — including four guides — for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, set to open with a ceremony at the Arena di Verona on March 6 before nine days of competition running through March 15.
The roster of 48 men and 20 women spans 25 states and includes 44 returning Paralympians alongside 24 athletes making their Paralympic debut. Together, the veterans have combined for 54 gold medals across 89 Paralympic podium appearances.
Leading the team is Para Nordic skier Oksana Masters, a seven-time Paralympian whose 19 career Paralympic medals make her the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian of all time. Masters is also the only American athlete to win seven medals at a single Paralympic Games. She is one of three Para Nordic skiers on the roster who competed at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, joined by Kendall Gretsch, a four-time Paralympian, and Aaron Pike, the team’s other seven-time Paralympian. All three are multi-sport competitors — Masters in Para-cycling, Gretsch in paratriathlon and Pike in Para track and field — who return to the winter stage after the Paris Games, where Masters and Gretsch combined for two gold medals and one silver.
Laurie Stephens enters Milano Cortina as the team’s sole five-time Paralympian, competing in Para alpine skiing alongside Jasmin Bambur, a four-time Paralympian. The full alpine squad is the largest sport delegation on the U.S. roster, with 23 athletes and one guide.
The U.S. sled hockey team carries arguably the highest expectations of any program at the Games. The squad enters as the most decorated team in the sport’s Paralympic history, having claimed five overall gold medals including four consecutive titles. The team features several multi-time Paralympians, among them Josh Pauls (four Games), and three-time Paralympians Brody Roybal, Declan Farmer, Jen Lee, Kevin McKee and Travis Dodson.
“We are incredibly proud to introduce 72 remarkable athletes who will represent the United States in Italy,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “Their journeys are defined by excellence, perseverance, discipline, and an unshakable belief in what is possible.”
Nearly 30 percent of the delegation — 20 athletes — competed at the collegiate level across 16 schools representing all three NCAA divisions as well as collegiate club programs. The Para Nordic skiing team leads all sports with 56.3 percent collegiate representation, followed by sled hockey at 35.3 percent.
Nine athletes on the roster self-identify as military veterans, including four Army, three Marine and two Navy veterans. Fourteen athletes self-identify as parents.
The youngest athlete on the team is Para alpine skier Maragaret Gustafson, 16. Wheelchair curler Stephen Emt, 52, is the oldest.
Milano Cortina 2026 will mark the 50th anniversary of the first Paralympic Winter Games, and the Games’ return to Italy for the first time since Torino 2006. More than 660 athletes are expected to compete across five sports and 79 medal events. The Games will also debut mixed doubles curling as a new Paralympic discipline.
NBCUniversal will air more than 270 hours of programming across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms. Live coverage of the Opening Ceremony begins at 2 p.m. ET on March 6 on Peacock and USA Network. The sled hockey gold medal game will air live on NBC on March 15 at 11:05 a.m. ET.