Cortina, Italy, March 8, 2026 – The Milano Cortina 2026 Canadian Paralympic Team earned its first gold medal of the Games on Sunday, with Natalie Wilkie taking top spot in Para biathlon, while Mark Arendz (Para biathlon) and Tyler Turner (Para snowboard) added to their Paralympic legacies with a medal each. In team sport play, Canada’s wheelchair curling squad went 2-0 to keep a perfect record through two days of competition.
MEDALS WON ON MARCH 8
GOLD – Natalie Wilkie, Para biathlon, women’s standing individual
SILVER – Mark Arendz, Para biathlon, men’s standing individual
BRONZE – Tyler Turner, Para snowboard, men’s SB-LL1 snowboard cross
OVERALL MEDAL TOTAL
GOLD – 1
SILVER – 3
BRONZE – 2
TOTAL – 6
RESULTS SUMMARY
Para Nordic Skiing – Para Biathlon
Natalie Wilkie is two-for-two at the Games so far, securing Canada’s first gold medal of Milano Cortina 2026 to go along with her silver from a day prior. She finished first in the women’s standing individual, skiing fast and shooting cleanly to finish in 33:01.8. She was 31.7 seconds clear of silver medallist Zhao Zhiqing of China. The 25-year-old now has nine Paralympic medals to her name.
“This is pretty unreal. Silver was pretty awesome yesterday, but the gold today is even better,” said Wilkie. “It all came together today. It’s just a race like any other race, but when you add in the crowds and everything that goes along with the Paralympic Games, it all just feels like such a bigger event. But I do feel like I’ve had enough exposure at events like this that I was able to still lock in.”
Teammate Brittany Hudak was fifth in the same women’s standing category.
Mark Arendz, competing at his fifth Paralympic Winter Games, added to his impressive Paralympic resume with his 13th medal – a silver in the men’s standing individual race. After an early miss in the shooting range, a strong finish put him in the podium positions. His time of 30:52.5 was 28.4 seconds behind gold medallist Cai Jiayun of China.
“Hearing the split halfway through the race that I was only in 10th place, that’s not something I’m used to, but it’s also something I can go to the back pocket and pull out, knowing I’ve been here before and using that experience to just keep pushing,” said Arendz. “I know I can outski a lot of the guys over the distance and keep my head in the game on the range, and that’s what really helped.”
“Medal 13 was a hard one to fight for and hopefully now it’s a little easier!”
Rounding out Canada’s day in Para biathlon, Christina Picton was eighth in the women’s sitting, and Collin Cameron seventh and Derek Zaplotinsky 24th in the men’s sitting.
Para Snowboard
Tyler Turner took home bronze in the men’s SB-LL1 snowboard cross for his third career Paralympic podium finish. After winning his quarterfinal and semifinal heats, the defending Paralympic champion had some bad luck in the final, getting tangled up with Japanese rider Junta Kosuda in a collision. Turner crossed the line fourth, but a review post-race determined Turner should be awarded the bronze.
“The run is going to weigh heavily on me for a while but that’s racing,” Turner said. “We talk about it all the time, the chaos, the crashes, everything. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to be a part of it and today I was. I’m proud to still have taken a medal. I get to be here; I get to celebrate this and now I get to go home to Canada and celebrate this medal with everyone.”
In the men’s SB-LL2, three-time Paralympian Alex Massie finished fourth for his best-ever finish at the Games. Sandrine Hamel (women’s SB-LL2), Chase Nicklin (men’s SB-LL1), and Philippe Nadreau (men’s SB-LL2) were all eliminated in the quarterfinal runs.
Wheelchair Curling
Canada is a perfect 3-0 in wheelchair curling preliminary play after posting two victories on Sunday. First, it was a thrilling comeback against Great Britain to open the day. Down 4-2 heading into the eighth and final end, the Mark Ideson-led squad scored three to steal the win.
In the evening, the Canadians scored six in a banner sixth end en route to a 9-2 triumph over Norway.
“We are thrilled we have three wins,” said team member Collinda Joseph. “Norway is a really tough team – both teams today were really tough – and to come away with two wins is fantastic.”
“We’re very confident in this team. We have a goal in mind to be on the podium, and we’re headed in the right direction. But outside of the wins, our processes are being put in place and we’re following through with them and I think that’s even more important because that will lead to wins in the end.”
CLICK HERE for the complete results on Sunday March 8.
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