2026 Winter Paralympics Recap
Founded in 1956, Move United has played a pivotal role in establishing and promoting Paralympic sports in the United States, and contributions leading to the first Paralympic Games in 1960. Over the years, Move United has been a significant player in U.S. Paralympic sport, fielding U.S. teams for international Paralympic Games prior to the establishment of U.S. Paralympics and the direct oversight of Paralympic sports by National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
Through its programs as well as its national network of over 245 member organizations in 45 states and the District of Columbia, Move United continues to be a pipeline to the Paralympics. Of the 72 athletes that represented the United States at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy March 6-15, 60 of them (83%) had participated in Move United programs or been involved in one of Move United’s 249 member organizations across the country.
MOVE UNITED PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
14 of the 72 Paralympians are individual members of Move United, including snowboarder Kate Delson and Zach Miller, alpine skiers Ravi Drugan, Blake Eaton, Matthew Brewer, Noah Bury, Jesse Keefe, and David Williams; sled hockey player Brett Bolton, Nordic skier Michael Kneeland, Josh Sweeney and Nicole Zaino, and wheelchair curlers Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer.
Nearly 20 of these athletes have attended The Hartford Ski Spectacular conducted by Move United, one of the nation’s largest adaptive winter sports festivals in the country held each December in Breckenridge, Colorado. Those athletes include some of the individual members listed above as well as alpine skiers Hailey Griffin, Patrick Halgren, Andrew Haraghey, Andrew Kurka, Michael O’Hearn, and Spencer Wood; snowboarders Keith Gabel and Mike Schultz; and Nordic skier Oksana Masters.
9 other Team USA athletes are connected through other Move United programs and events, including snowboarders Brenna Huckaby and Noah Elliott, Nordic skiers Dani Aravich and Max Nelson, sled hockey players Griffin LaMarre, Evan Nichols, Landon Uthke, and Jack Wallace; and alpine skier Laurie Stephens.
MOVE UNITED WARFIGHTERS PROGRAM
Since 2003, Move United has proudly served more than 21,500 wounded warriors and their family members through the Move United Warfighters program. Six athletes that will wear a uniform for the U.S. again have participated in Move United Warfighters activities, including Sweeney, sled hockey team members Travis Dodson, Jen Lee, and Josh Misiewicz, as well as Wheelchair Curlers Dan Rose and Katie Verderber.
MOVE UNITED MEMBER NETWORK
And finally, 23 members of Team USA have participated with one or more Move United member organizations, including alpine skiers Audrey Crowley, Kelsey O’Driscoll, Margaret Gustafson and guide Spenser Gustafson, Allie Johnson, Saylor OBrien, Anna Soens, Jasmin Bambur, Robert Enigl, Tyler McKenzie, and Kyle Taulman, snowboarder Joe Pleban, Nordic skiers Dan Cnossen, Kendall Gretsch, and Aaron Pike; sled hockey players, David Eustace, Declan Farmer, Noah Grove, Malik Jones, Kevin McKee, Josh Pauls, and Brody Roybal; and wheelchair curler Sean O’Neill.
Those member organizations include National Sports Center for the Disabled (Colorado), National Ability Center (Utah), Adaptive Action Sports (Colorado), Dare2Tri (Illinois), GLASA (Illinois) Disabled Athlete Sports Association (Missouri), Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (Illinois), Kennedy Krieger Institute (Maryland), Northeast Passage (New Hampshire), Adaptive Adventures (Colorado), Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports (Colorado).
Team USA did extremely well at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, finishing second in the overall medal count with 24 total medals (13 gold, 5 silver, and 6 bronze). Here’s how the athlete did:
Para Nordic Skiing (Biathlon and Cross-Country)
Oksana Masters:
-Gold in women’s 7.5km sprint biathlon (sitting)
-Gold in women’s sprint classic (sitting)
-Gold in women’s 10km classic (sitting)
-Bronze in women’s 20km interval start (sitting)
Kendall Gretsch:
-Gold in women’s biathlon sprint pursuit (sitting)
-Silver in women’s 7.5km sprint biathlon (sitting)
-Bronze in women’s individual biathlon (sitting)
-Bronze in women’s 10 km class (sitting)
Jake Adicoff:
-Gold in men’s sprint classic (vision-impaired)
-Gold in men’s 10km classic (vision-impaired)
-Gold in men’s 20km interval start free (vision-impaired)
Sydney Peterson:
-Gold in women’s 10km classic (standing)
-Silver in women’s sprint classic (standing)
-Gold in women’s 20km interval start free (standing)
TEAM USA
-Gold in Mixed Team 4×2.5km Relay (Josh Sweeney, Oksana Masters, Sydney Peterson, Jake Adicoff, and Reid Goble)
Para Snowboarding
Kate Delson:
-Gold in women’s banked slalom SB-LL2 event
-Silver in women’s snowboard cross SB-LL2
Brenna Huckaby:
-Bronze in women’s banked slalom SB-LL2 event
Noah Elliott:
-Gold in men’s banked slalom SB-LL1
-Silver in men’s snowboard cross SB-LL1
Mike Schultz:
-Bronze in men’s banked slalom SB-LL1
Para Alpine Skiing
Patrick Halgren:
-Silver in Para Alpine Skiing: Men’s Super-G (standing)
Andrew Kurka:
-Bronze in Para Alpine Skiing: Men’s Super-G (sitting)
Sled Hockey
TEAM USA
Gold (Kayden Beasley, Brett Bolton, Travis Dodson, David Eustace, Declan Farmer, Malik Jones, Josh Misiewicz, Evan Nichols, Brody Roybal, Liam Cunningham, Jack Wallace, Josh Pauls, Noah Grove, Kevin McKee, Landon Uthke, Griffin LaMarre, and Jen Lee.)
Move United continues to use the power of sport to push what’s possible for people with disabilities, confronting ignorance, fueling conversation, and inciting action that leads us to a world where everyone’s included. Move United is a proud affiliate of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Sports make us more—more determined, more powerful, more ourselves. And now, the stage is set for the best para athletes in the world to shine. Next up, we turn our attention to the 2028 Summer Paralympic Games, which will be held right here in the United States as Los Angeles serves as the host city!
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