10 Minnesotans set for 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympics

The big picture: The United States is sending 72 athletes to Italy — five more than it did for the 2022 Games in Beijing.

Zoom in: Minnesota's athletes include two guides who help visually impaired Paralympians compete. Top podium contenders include:

🏂 Mike Schultz of Kimball, a three-time medalist in snowboarding who lost part of one leg in an accident during a professional snowcross race in 2008.

🎿 Sydney Peterson, a cross-country skier from Lake Elmo, who spends her days researching neurological and movement disorders like the one she was diagnosed with as a teen.

• She won three medals, including a gold in the mixed relay, in 2022.

🎿 Aaron Pike, a seven-time Paralympian from Park Rapids, who also competes in cross-country skiing.

• Pike, who was injured in a hunting accident and now competes in both the Summer and Winter Games, aims to bring home his first medal this year.

Plus: First-timers include Max Nelson, a visually impaired skier from Grant who recovered from brain cancer surgery less than a year ago, and Batoyun "Oyuna" Uranchimeg, a wheelchair curler from Burnsville.

• Albert Lea's Landon Uthke, who lost a leg as a child, is one of three Minnesotans competing on the U.S. men's sled hockey team.

⛷️ Meg Gustafson, a visually impaired alpine skier from Edina, will make her Paralympic debut alongside her brother Spenser, who serves as her sighted guide.

• Nelson's guide, Gus Schatzlein, is also from Minnesota.

Alpine skier Blake Eaton, a three-time national champion from Duluth, is also competing for the first time.

Worth noting: Courtney Godfrey — a longtime reporter for Fox9 and a former U.S. Para Snowboard Team member — will be part of NBCUniversal's broadcast coverage of the Games.

• She'll join Eagan-based swimmer Mallory Weggeman as a host, the Star Tribune reported.

How to watch: The 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympic Winter Games run from March 6–15.

• Events will stream on Peacock and air on USA, CNBC and NBC.