For the fourth time in seven months, an international sporting event has officially come and gone. It’s weird to think we’ve had *eight* ceremonies in that same amount of time. Needless to say, we all should be used to seeing LED projections by now. Without further ado, here are my 22 takeaways from the last few days.
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- The Spirit of Ukraine
Honestly, what else is supposed to be at the top? Too often, we hear narratives of athletes who have gone through a tough time. Sometimes, the network will purposely do this to make it interesting. In this instance, you could actually see and witness the heavy hearts from the Ukrainian athletes as the competition went on!
On day one, you could catch standing skiier Grygorii Vovchynskyi holding back tears after he won gold in the biathlon sprint. Just a few days later, his teammate, sitting skier Anastasiia Laletina had to leave early after her father was captured and attacked by the Russian military. In the meantime, Dmytro Suiarko kept competing- even after his house was bombed.
The twenty athletes in the Ukraine delegation are coming back to their war-torn home with 11 gold, 10 silvers, and 29 bronze medals. Three times, they even swept the podium- men’s sprint biathlon- vision impaired, women’s middle distance biathlon-standing, and men’s middle distance biathlon- vision impaired.
To those new to the Paralympic movement, this may seem to be a huge underdog story (and in many ways, it is!). However, Ukraine has historically had an successful Paralympic program. But in this last week, they probably skied with as much adversity as any one in history.
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2. Oksana Masters, future hall-of-famer
Honestly, she arguably had that distinction even before these Games began. Sitting skier Oksana Masters of Louisville, Ky. is only the most-decorated Nordic skier in U.S. history., Olympics or Paras. Seven months after she snuck out of Tokyo with two golds in paracycling, she went a full 7-for-7: medaling in all seven events she competed in!
Along with her two biathlon golds (sprint, long distance), she also played a pivotal role in Team USA’s cross country mixed relay. Even though she is also leaving China with four silvers, there is a case to be made that she should’ve won gold in those exact events. More on that below.
Finally, we’ve learned that not all Ukranian athletes wear Blue & Yellow. Masters was born near Chernobyl in 1989, three years removed from the nuclear explosion of 1986. As a result, she had birth defects caused by the radiation, including webbed legs and fingers. Once she was adopted here in the States, she had surgery and lost both of her legs.
Decades later, she went onto become the face of the U.S. Paralympic team along with Jessica Long and Tatyana McFadden! Even in tumultuous times, she hasn’t forgotten where she’s from. She even tweeted out:
“It’s the Stars and Stripes that keep my Ukrainian heart beating. I’ve always been proud of where I come from, and I can’t wait to race for the two countries that make me whole.”
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3. Total Domination
If you had one guess, what sport would you say that was? If you didn’t say “sled hockey,” there’s a good chance you didn’t see one period of action!
Before the Paralympics, I researched athletes from Texas that viewers here in Lubbock could connect with. That’s when I found out about Jen Lee, the goalkeeper from San Antonio who also replaced long-time leader Steve Cash. Over the course of four games, Lee only allowed one goal- while his teammates scored 30!
At the beginning and end of Beijing ’22, the team’s matchups against Canada were expected to be an epic showdown (the U.S. did need every minute they could get to win four years ago in PyeongChang). However, the U.S. left the National Indoor Stadium with a 5-0 win. Twice!
If the United States finds defeat in Milan ’26, it would more-than-likely have to come against Canada. Even then, that seems to be a 1-in-10 chance.
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4. That Mixed Relay though!
Yes, we need to talk about Sunday’s relay- and, do so in better detail!
Not only did that race give Masters her seventh medal (third gold) of these Paralympics, but it also promoted visually-impaired journeyman Jake Adicoff and standing skier Sydney Peterson, a newcomer to these Games, to gold medal status! Former Navy SEAL Dan Cnossen also came to Beijing in pursuit of more medals (after his overhaul of six in 2018). Because of this race, he doesn’t have to cross the Pacific Ocean empty-handed!
Their relay was a feel-good win that came before the United States’ crushing sled hockey win against Canada!
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5. The profound effect on the host nation.
We seem to hear about it every time there’s an adaptive sporting event. That’s one big reason I’m eyeing the 2028 Summer Paralympics in LA- even a bit more than the Olympic counterpart. If it’s going to be a game-changer for disabled athletes here in the U.S., and I want to witness it first-hand!
Coming into this week, China had only claimed one winter medal in its history- a gold in wheelchair curling back in 2018. Four years later- the host nation racked up 18 gold, 20 silver, and 23 bronze medals! Before I get into the ugly part, it goes without saying that China was well-prepared for this week. I’m anxious to know how they developed their winter athletes the way they did. That also leads me to my next post….
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6. Was China TOO good?
Right now across the planet, many fans, coaches, and athletes across the world are scratching their head to see *exactly* how that jump in the medal count was made. If it was all done cleanly, then they did great, and other teams should be doing the same! If not, what needs to be found??
I’m not implying China has a state-sponsored doping program. I just wonder if they found any shortcuts.
Following her silver in the cross-country sprint, Oksana was visibly upset. She even refrained from making any controversial comments. Before Beijing, she knew very little about Yang Hongqiong, who recently became a three-time gold medalist. As unfortunate as it sounds, it’s possible that misclassification can be a factor. More than likely, that’s a gray area these athletes face regardless. Any chance the Chinese athletes used this to their advantage? I’m not making any declarative statements. I know there are many others around the world asking the same thing.
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7. Jake Adicoff (and guide Sam Wood)‘s breakthrough
The story about the visually-impaired cross country skier from Sun Valley, Idaho is interesting. In the Sochi Paralympics of 2014, I remember seeing Adicoff‘s name at the top of the screen- even for just a few seconds.
For that reason, I was even thrilled four years ago when he won silver in the middle distance event! Apparently, he was too! Jake retired shortly thereafter. Not only was this year’s return to the Winter Games a resounding success for him. He and guide Sam Wood are coming back to Idaho with two more silvers (long distance, sprint) and a long awaited gold, from the aforementioned mixed relay.
It’s also worth noting his nemesis on the tracks was Brian McKeever of Canada. After a twenty-year career, McKeever is hanging up the skis. His resume includes 20 Paralympic medals, all but four of them gold!
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8. Brenna Huckaby’s two golds, ….keep reading!
Keep reading because the Louisiana snowboarder actually earned just one gold this time-women’s banked slalom- LL2. This story is extraordinary because she’s actually an LL1 snowboarder! In case you’re new to Paralympic sport- the lower classes indicate a higher degree of impairment.
Her trip to Beijing was originally cut short, because there were not enough women to compete in the LL1 class. However, she won a court appeal in Germany last January- and her ticket to Beijing was officially punched. In order to compete, she would have to go up against others with lesser impairments.
Huckaby was also very close to losing her balance towards the end of her final run. Once she made it past the finish line, cameras caught her saying “Am I (really) on the podium?”!
Her other medal (women’s para snowboard cross) was actually a bronze. I only categorized it a gold because of the ‘moral victory’ she had shortly after the Games began. Cecile Hernandez of France actually won boardercross gold. While the two were opponents at Zhangjiakou, they teamed up in the courtroom. Apparently, the judge made the correct decision.
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9. Hello Sydney Peterson!
More than anything, I’m always wanting to see the next generation of Paralympians. Come 2022, this is where cross country standing skier Sydney Peterson comes in!
I first learned of the Lake Elmo, Minn.-native last Sunday when she grabbed silver in the women’s long distance event, two days before taking bronze in the women’s sprint. As mentioned above, she was also a part of the epic mixed relay team.
Another Team USA star who made their way to the world’s biggest stage was Mongolian-born wheelchair curling lead Oyuna Uranchimeg. More on her team below.
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10. The Awesome Aigners of Austria!
Now, this story is probably circulating more in European circles. On their way back to Gloggnitz, visually-impaired skiers Veronika, Barbara and Johannes Aigner are coming home with nine new medals- four of them gold!
The oldest sister Veronika is guided by their other sibling Elisabeth, who has full vision. Together, they teamed up for golds in slalom and giant slalom. As for the younger twins, their week was just as monumental. Johannes, who is only 16, conquered the slopes in men’s downhill and men’s GS. He also medaled in super combined, slalom and Super-G.
His twin-sister Barbara, also known as “Babsie”, earned silver in women’s slalom, along with a bronze in GS.
It’s probably safe to say this is the “First Family of Paralympic Skiing,” much like the Mannings in football.
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11. Shoutout to Kendall Gretsch!
Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen. Tom Brady (once again) has Gronk. Whenever it comes to teammates pushing each other to a higher level, Oksana Masters and Kendall Gretsch have each other!
While Oksana was interviewed after her win in the sprint biathlon, she was quick to give credit to Kendall- especially her unique shooting abilities which gave Oksana a standard to aim for. Two days later, the Downers Grove, Ill.-resident earned podium glory of her own- taking gold in biathlon’s middle distance event- women’s sitting. Three days later, she added a silver in middle distance..
Gretsch made a pit stop in Tokyo last summer as well. There, she competed in para-triathlon. Her dramatic .01 win over Australian Lauren Parker made international headlines- especially since she originally trailed for 99.99 percent of the race! Kendall’s win in the snow wasn’t near as dramatic.
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12. Thomas Walsh’s Turn
Four years ago in PyeongChang, NBC Sports introduced Thomas Walsh as Mikaela Shiffrin‘s childhood best friend. The two grew up together in Vail, Colo. and even attended prom together. Even today, they are still exchanging pleasantries on social media- all while competing on other sides of the globe.
Walsh has also had a strong rapport with professional skiier Steven Nyman. While Thomas was hospitalized with Ewing’s sarcoma in 2009, Nyman draped him with his ski bib from the 2006 Torino Olympics. Last December, Thomas returned the favor and gave Steven his bib from the PyeongChang Paralympics.
Thomas earned his first-ever medal, a silver in men’s giant slalom-standing. It’s also astonishing that he was only .05 away from beating Johannes Aigner of Austria for gold!
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13. The Dog on the Podium
From seeing a post that has gone viral in the last few days, we’ve learned that not all medalists are people!
With a gold in women’s cross country sprint- visually impaired, Carina Edlinger of Austria already made international headlines regardless. Just a few seconds after her win, her guide dog Riley (black lab) was there to greet her! Not only did Carina share the podium with guide Josef Lorenz at last week’s medal ceremony, the four-legger was there to tag along as well!
With the current state of the world, it helps to have feel-good stories like this one. Yes, it’s a common phrase we often hear, but this is still very-much relevant!
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14. Garrett Geros: Silver on his neck, Cortina on his mind.
And with that phrase, it’s ironic that para-snowboarder Garrett Geros actually hails from Cartersville, Georgia!
Even though the 22-year-old made his Paralympic debut in Beijing, his sights have been set on Milan-Cortina 2026. There, he expects to be one of the headliners in snowboard cross LL-2. While this year’s Paralympics were expected to be a test run for Geros, he ended up with a silver!
During his post-race interview, Geros talked about his faith and gave one of the best testimonials we’ve heard this winter.
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15. Dan Cnossen’s Gracious Fourth
In any Olympic or Paralympic event, the thought of finishing fourth is probably one of the most-dreaded things. It means you were the greatest to not medal, but there are still three in front of you. Along with a silver, it’s all “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve”. However, there was fouth-place redemption from the first day of competition!
In the biathlon sprint-men’s sitting, Cnossen missed the podium by a mere twenty seconds (it was actually an improvement following his struggles at this year’s world championships in Lillehammer). The silver-medalist was long-time rival Taras Rad of Ukraine. Afterwards, Cnossen said he was grateful Rad had a chance to bring earn a medal for his country during these difficult times- even if that meant finishing fourth.
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16. The British Winter Paralympic Scene
As Team GB left this year’s Olympics with only a gold, and a silver (men and women’s curling, respectively), I was really expecting more on the Paralympic side- especially since that’s where the movement started more than six decades ago.
Just two days in, a medal haul seemed reasonable. While visually-impaired skier Neil Simpson earned gold in men’s Super-G, Menna Fitzpatrick earned silver on the women’s side of the event. That’s about as glorious as it would be for Great Britain’s Paralympians. Two days later, Fitz and Simpson would both earn bronze in super combined.
There’s also Millie Knight, who was a regular at the Yanqing National Alpine Ski Centre last week. She is taking home a bronze in women’s downhill, visually impaired. Snowborder Ollie Hill took bronze in men’s banked slalom, LL2.
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17. USA Wheelchair Curling Rocked the Ice Cube!
Finally, I’m getting to this part. There was really an interesting dynamic between the U.S. wheelchair curling team and their sled hockey compatriots. While one team was competing, the other team would be spotted in the stands, cheering them on in sleeveless flannel shirts. It was cool to see from both sides!
The story surrounding Steve Emt is always the catchy one. Back in spring 2020, when there was zero sports and zero movies to go see. All we had was the Michael Jordan docuseries, “The Last Dance“. In Episode 7 (from never-released footage in 1998), Jordan was seen talking to Emt, who was still a few years removed from his life-changing car wreck. Of course, millions of viewers saw that part- since there was nothing else going on.
Fast forward 24 years later, it was interesting seeing someone compete who has ties to No. 23!
Heading into these Games, Emt humbly handed over his role as team leader to Matthew Thums of Weston, Wisc. After starting off 0-2, and then 2-4, the Red, White & Blue finished strong by winning three of their last four bouts. The wins came against including victories over Switzerland, Latvia and South Korea.
The team had a great run, as they were one spot away from medal contention. Their time just ran short.
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18. Argentina’s Fourth-Place Finish
This is odd because one would not typically think of Argentina as a winter-sports powerhouse. But now, we may have had a breakthrough! Sitting skier Enrique Plantey not only finished fourth in the men’s GS, but he also completed both runs in men’s slalom. After each race, he was soon greeted by his Albiceleste fan base.
This could’ve very-well been the last Paralympics for Plantey, who is also a law student at the University of Buenos Aires. He is actually 39 years-old. The three medalists in the men’s GS-sitting were all younger-by an average of 19 years!
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19. Best Winter Paralympics Ever…. In terms of athleticism?
Of course as the athletes develop, their athleticism will continue to improve. In alpine skiing, DNF’s are unfortunately too common (DNF stands for “Did Not Finish”). But, one improvement I’ve noticed is the improved communication between visually impaired skiers and their guides. It’s much more seamless, compared to how it was eight years ago. As each four-year period passes, the Paralympians have more time to improve on their craft. That too will probably get better each time .
Most ceremonies I’ve seen have played on the theme, “What’s Possible?” At least with Beijing, I picked up a greater message about acceptance and equality.
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20. Best Winter Paralympics Ever…. In terms of TV time?
This one would be hard to dispute.
I remember how great the 2012 London Summer Paralympics were. It’s a huge reason I follow it so closely today. That was when I learned about Jessica Long, Bradley Snyder, and Tatyana McFadden. Gold medal discus-thrower Jeremy Campbell actually grew up a few hours away from me! At that time, I had never seen anything like it. As memorable as those Games were, NBC had it reduced to one or two weekend shows, which included two hours of highlights. It was far too good to be cut down so much!
Ten years later, everything from these Paralympics was fully available. For several nights, the USA Network had something live from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The NBC Network itself used its primetime slots three times to provide human interest stories on the athletes- hopefully, so average viewers will get to know about them the same way I do! Finally, anything I missed was easy to find on Peacock, OBS commentary included.
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21. The Closing Ceremony!
The LED-screen played a vital role in all four ceremonies we’ve had in the last two months. Before I get into the fun part, I’ll discuss the 2026 segment. In full disclosure, I’m not a fan of video handovers. They are too easy to do, and really don’t give much perspective on the upcoming host nation. It just feels mailed in. At least with last month’s Olympics, we got to see how their organizers are approaching ‘duality’. There was one green performer who represented Milan. A red performer did likewise for Cortina d’Ampezzo. After the Italian flag was raised, the four-minute clip felt like a video press release. To see how it could’ve been done, go look up the PyeongChang handover done in 2014. An artist with prosthesis painted a Korean symbol, and had it ready within minutes!
That said, the remaining thirty minutes was pretty lit- no pun intended! The industrial clock segment reminded me of the well-documented Beijing Olympics opening ceremony in 2008. At the same time, I don’t think I’ve seen that many fireworks at an Olympic event, Paralympic event, or even a Super Bowl.
There was also a nice tie-in to last week’s opening with the hearing-impaired performers. As jaded as I am from all the ceremonies I’ve watched in my life- I even jumped out of my chair once to say “WHOA!!”. So yes, it was nicely done.
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22. Absence of Russia & Belarus
And now, we get to the elephant in the room. If the IPC held on to its original ruling, which allowed these two nations to compete- it would not have been a pretty sight. We would’ve seen protests, channel-changings, and continuous discussions. From what I’ve already heard- there was a great deal of opposition there amongst the athletes.
This cannot happen in places where such athletes awareness and inclusion. These particular sporting events need all the positivity they can get. Having athletes from Russia would’ve set them back many years.
Granted, I’m well-aware that the Russian and Belarusian athletes have had little to do with the tyrannical decisions made by Vladimir Putin. Along with the 564 athletes already there, they too have personal stories of hardships they’ve had to overcome. They’re being punished because of an unjust war that has nothing to do with them. In these Paralympics, they could not afford to have Russia (now competing as Russian Paralympic Committee, or “RPC”) or even the Neutral Paralympic Athletes (who they would’ve competed as) gracing the podium. It’s very incongruous to the times we’re living in. Finally, can you imagine how awkward (if not inappropriate) the dynamic would have be if Ukraine and RPC/NPA competed directly against each other?
It’s just hard to believe we were about 24 hours away from seeing this become a reality.
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Medal Zone 