Canadian Nordic skier Natalie Wilkie secured her third medal in as many events at the ongoing Milan-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games. She clinched a bronze in the women’s standing cross-country sprint, adding to the gold and silver she won in biathlon earlier. Wilkie, hailing from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, now boasts a total of 10 Paralympic medals.
In the same race, Norway’s Vilde Nilsen emerged victorious, redeeming her loss at the 2022 Beijing Games where Wilkie snatched the gold from her at the last moment. This time, Nilsen finished four seconds ahead of American Sydney Peterson and nearly nine seconds ahead of Wilkie.
Wilkie’s bronze medal contributed to Canada’s overall tally of eight medals (one gold, three silver, four bronze) by the end of Day 4.
Other notable Canadian performances include Mark Arendz securing sixth place in the men’s standing cross-country sprint, while Collin Cameron finished 11th in the men’s sitting event. Alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith narrowly missed their third medal, coming in fourth in the men’s vision-impaired combined event.
In Para ice hockey, Canada maintained a flawless record in the preliminary round by defeating the Czech Republic 4-1. The team will face China in the semifinals, while the United States will meet the Czech Republic. The U.S. has won the last four Paralympic gold medals, triumphing over Canada in the past two finals.
Canada’s wheelchair curling team continued their dominance with two victories, positioning themselves at the top of the standings. The team is eyeing further success after winning bronze at the previous Paralympics and the last world championship.
Looking ahead, fans anticipated Wilkie’s participation in the women’s standing cross-country 10-kilometer interval start for her chance at a fourth medal. However, Nordic Canada confirmed that Wilkie would skip the event to rest before the biathlon sprint pursuit on Friday.
Arendz is set to compete in the men’s standing 10K, Cameron in the men’s sitting 10K, and Canada’s wheelchair curling team will face Slovakia in upcoming events.
To catch all the action from the Milan-Cortina Games, viewers can tune in to CBC TV or stream live on the free CBC Gem app. Detailed schedules and highlights are available on CBC’s Paralympics website, offering comprehensive coverage of the ongoing events.