Natalie Wilkie wins gold in women’s standing biathlon

Natalie Wilkie, Para biathlon, won the gold medal in women’s individual standing at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games on Sunday March 8 at Tesero Cross-country Skiing Stadium in Lago, Italy.

Wilkie finished with a time of 33:01.8, more than 30 seconds ahead of China’s Zhao Zhiqing (33:33.5) who claimed the silver medal. Ukraine’s Oleksandra Kononova won bronze with a time of 33:37.9.

It is Wilkie’s fourth career Paralympic gold medal. And her ninth Paralympic medal overall (three silver, two bronze). It is her second medal of these Paralympic Winter Games, having won silver in the women’s standing sprint on Saturday.

Natalie Wilkie is a Salmon Arm, British Columbia Para Nordic athlete competing in her third Paralympic Games. She was the youngest member of the team at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in South Korea, winning a gold, silver and bronze at those Games.