★ The Sports Examiner is delighted to present this important contribution from our patron, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, with a focus on American Paralympic stars. Opinions expressed are those of the USOPC. ★
Stephens and Kurka have combined to win nine medals in seven Paralympic appearances.
By Bob Reinert
Red Line Editorial
After bringing home one medal four years ago from Beijing, the U.S. Paralympic Alpine Ski Team will look to the experience and leadership of sit skiers Laurie Stephens and Andrew Kurka at the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which take place 6-15 March.
Stephens, who turns 42 a day before the Paralympics gets underway, returns for her sixth Games. The Wenham, Massachusetts, native, is a seven-time Paralympic medalist who has regularly won world championships and world cups over the years. She made her Paralympic debut at Torino in 2006, skiing to gold medals in the women’s Downhill and Super-G and a silver medal in the Giant Slalom.
Now in his 17th year on the national team, Kurka will be competing in his fourth Paralympics. The 34-year-old from Plamer, Alaska, owns two Paralympic medals and six world championships medals.
Kurka may have more Paralympic medals if it weren’t for some untimely injuries. In 2014, he qualified for the Sochi Games but didn’t compete after he broke his back in a training crash. Eight year later in Beijing, Kurka broke his arm, thumb and nose in a practice run but still finished in fourth in the men’s downhill. After that event, he pulled out of the Games.
With 23 athletes and one guide, the alpine ski team is the largest U.S. sport delegation for these Games. Those skiers hail from 13 different states, with five of them coming from Colorado, the only state with more than two athletes represented on the U.S. team.
While Kurka and Stephens are the only members of the team who have won a Paralympic medal, they are two of 10 athletes who have prior experience at the Games.
The only athlete that comes close to Stephens in terms of Paralympic experience is Jasmin Bambur. Now 46, Bambur made his Paralympic debut in 2010 for Serbia, becoming the country’s first Paralympian. After gaining U.S. citizenship in 2010, he eventually began competing for Team USA. The Granby, Colorado, resident is set to compete in his fourth Games for the U.S. and fifth overall.
Among the 13 Paralympic debutants on the U.S. alpine team, Audrey Crowley comes in with possibly the best chance to come home with a medal. The Eagle, Colorado, native – who just turned 19 on 1 March – won a bronze medal in the women’s Standing Giant Slalom at the 2025 World Championships, earning the only medal for the U.S. at the competition.
Like Crowley, Kelsey O’Driscoll competes as a standing skier and is another promising newcomer for Team USA. The 32-year-old from Caldwell, New Jersey, made her debut on the World Cup circuit in December 2025 in Steinach am Brenner, Austria. In only her third event, O’Driscoll won the women’s standing Super-G.
The U.S. will have plenty of competition for medals from the rest of the world at the Paralympics. Austria, China and Norway should be right in the middle of the podium chase. China led the way with 19 alpine ski medals on home soil four years ago, followed by Austria with 12, and France, Japan, Slovakia, Italy, Germany and Canada with six apiece.
The Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre will serve as the site for alpine events, which is where the Olympic women’s alpine races took place. The world-renowned venue hosted events during the 1956 Winter Olympics and is a regular stop on the World Cup circuit.
Para alpine skiing includes events for sitting, standing and visually impaired athletes. The skiers will compete in Downhill, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Super-G and super combined for a total of 30 medal events at the Games.
The first alpine medals will be handed out in Downhill on 7 March. The Super-G finals will take place on 9 March, followed by women’s Giant Slalom on 12 March, men’s Giant Slalom on 13 March, women’s Slalom on 14 March and men’s Slalom on 15 March.
NBC’s Peacock will stream every event live, while CNBC and USA will provide live coverage throughout the Games as well.
Bob Reinert spent 17 years writing sports for The Boston Globe. He also served as a sports information director at Saint Anselm College and Phillips Exeter Academy. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.com on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
For more, please visit the USOPC Paralympic Educational Hub.
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