Oksana Masters competes in Para biathlon sprint as medal events continue at Winter Paralympics in Cortina
The Sporting Tribune
Host · Writer
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Oksana Masters of the United States took center stage Sunday at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, competing in the women’s Para biathlon sprint sitting event as medal competition continued across multiple sports in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Masters, one of the most decorated Paralympians in U.S. history, was among the top contenders in the sprint race at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium. The event combined cross-country skiing with precision rifle shooting, requiring athletes to complete short loops on the course while stopping at the range to fire at five targets. Each missed shot resulted in a time penalty, making accuracy just as important as speed on the snow.
The women’s sprint sitting race featured a deep international field, with athletes from Europe, Asia and North America battling challenging conditions on the course. The competition highlighted the technical demands of Para biathlon, where athletes must control their breathing and heart rate after intense skiing in order to shoot accurately.
Sunday’s events were part of a busy day of competition across the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, which are being staged across northern Italy. In Cortina, Para snowboard athletes raced in snowboard cross, one of the most exciting events of the Games as competitors go head-to-head down a course filled with jumps, berms and tight turns.
Italy’s Emanuel Perathoner delivered one of the biggest moments for the host nation by capturing gold in the men’s snowboard cross event. Competing in front of a passionate home crowd in the Dolomites, Perathoner’s victory was celebrated as one of the early highlights of the Games for Italy.
Meanwhile, Para biathlon races continued to award medals in both men’s and women’s classifications. China delivered another strong showing in Nordic events, adding multiple podium finishes as it continued to establish itself as one of the dominant teams in Para biathlon.
Elsewhere in Cortina, wheelchair curling teams continued round-robin play as the tournament standings began to take shape early in the competition.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games run through March 15 and feature approximately 600 athletes from more than 50 nations competing across six sports: Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling.
With several days of competition remaining, Sunday’s events in Cortina showcased both the intensity of Paralympic sport and the international depth of the field, highlighted by Masters’ appearance in the Para biathlon sprint and a memorable gold medal performance for the host nation in snowboard cross.
