Paralympic Games Milan-Cortina 2026: the first medals

The first Italian medals at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games arrive immediately in the visually impaired category, thanks to Chiara Mazzel and Giacomo Bertagnolli. During the opening day in the downhill, Trentino athlete Chiara Mazzel wins silver, while Bertagnolli takes bronze.

But the Italian excitement doesn’t stop there. Today, Chiara Mazzel confirms herself as the absolute protagonist, winning gold in the Super-G on the Olympia delle Tofane. Together with her guide Nicola Cotti Cottini, Mazzel finishes the race with a time of 1’14”84. Silver goes to Austrian Veronica Aigner (+0”60) and bronze to Slovak Alexandra Rexova (+4”85). Martina Vozza finishes fourth, 5”75 behind the winner. Also today, Giacomo Bertagnolli wins silver in the Super-G.

This is Italy’s second gold at the Games, after Emanuel Perathoner’s victory in the men’s snowboard cross, Lower Limb category. Wearing the red bib number 40, the Italian triumphed in the SB-LL2 Big Final, finishing 2”14 ahead of Australian Tudhope and 3”01 ahead of Korean Lee. This gold represents Italy’s first triumph in the history of the 2026 Paralympic Games.

At the moment, the Italian medal count stands at 5: 2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze.

The competitions, however, are far from over: the upcoming events promise more excitement and new opportunities for Italian athletes to shine.