Para Alpine Opens Paralympics with Downhill

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games officially got underway Saturday with the downhill on the iconic Olimpia delle Tofane, the same slope as the Olympic alpine races. It was a warm and sunny day with temperatures nearing 45 degrees Fahrenheit and the stands were packed full of friends, family and fans cheering for the start of the Games. Team USA saw several strong performances and Paralympic debuts with multiple athletes delivering solid results on the sport’s biggest stage.

In women’s vision impaired, Meg Gustafson and guide Spencer Gustafson finished seventh in their first Paralympic Games appearance.

The U.S. had a strong showing in women’s standing, led by Audrey Crowley, who placed sixth in her Paralympic debut after struggling with the training runs. Allie Johnson finished 10th. Kelsey O’Driscoll, also competing in her first Paralympics, did not finish after missing a gate but is OK.

“I had a couple of mistakes, but I’m really happy I put it to the finish line and start off these races on a high note,” said Crowley. “No expectations – just keeping it fun, keeping it light. It’s just a race!” 

In women’s sitting, Saylor O’Brien led the Americans with a fifth-place finish in her Paralympic debut, while Anna Soens also made her first Paralympic start but did not finish.

In the men’s standing downhill, Jesse Keefe delivered a standout performance, finishing 10th—a big result for the American who is typically stronger in the technical events. Andrew Haraghey finished 12th, followed by Spencer Wood in 14th. Patrick Halgren and Tyler McKenzie did not finish their runs but are OK.

The snow grew very soft by the end of the downhill in the early afternoon, which led to more than half of the sit-skiers crashing, including Blake Eaton, David Williams and Andrew Kurka. Ravi Drugan led the U.S. with an eighth-place finish in men’s sitting and Robert Enigl finished ninth. 

“This downhill has been more of a mental game but I felt really good in the start and tried to commit best I could, but still made little mistakes,” said Drugan. “The snow is kind of variable up there – soft spots and fast spots - but they did a great job maintaining it. I can’t be disappointed in the time. Good day!” 

A full slate of alpine racing is still to come in Cortina with super-G, giant slalom, slalom and alpine combined scheduled. The super-G is up next on Monday, March 9.

RESULTS
Paralympic Downhill