Three Legends of Paralympic Winter Sports

900 Paralympic athletes will compete at Milano Cortina 2026, breaking records to stand at the top of the podium. Have you heard the stories about the best?

The Winter Paralympics represent the highest point, at an international level, among the competitions in which the best athletes with disabilities compete. Six disciplines in which the excellence of winter Paralympic sports will give everything to beat their own records and aspire to a place in the Olympus of the greats. While waiting for Milano Cortina 2026, let's find out who some of the great Paralympic winter athletes are.

The thousand lives of Francesca Porcellato

The Rossa Volante (Flying Red) has participated in 11 Paralympics and won 14 medals in Athletics, Cross-Country Skiing and Paracycling.

Francesca Porcellato was born in Castelfranco Veneto on 5 September 1970. At 18 months old she was hit by a truck and lost the use of her legs. At the age of 6 she received her first wheelchair and it was there and then that her great love for sport began: "hen they gave me my first wheelchair the only thing I thought about was making it go as fast as I could - she explained - and I've done it".

A volcano of energy and tenacity, for the Rossa Volante – as she is nicknamed by her fans – 11 Paralympics in total (between winter and summer editions). A love that blossomed 34 years ago, between the three agitos and the Venetian athlete, during the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, when she was just eighteen years old and still a student. There she was able to conquer the beauty of 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze in Para Athletics in a wheelchair. A dream haul of medals, almost unrepeatable for a Paralympic athlete. Then Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 (5 medals in total, 2 Gold and 3 Silver) and finally the debut at the Winter Paralympics in Turin 2006 in Para Cross-Country Skiing. Four years passed and, in Vancouver 2010, she returned to win an Olympic Gold at the Paralympics, 22 years after the first time, in this case in the Para Cross-Country Skiing Sprint. A Gold medal with special value: Francesca becomes one of the few athletes in history to have won at both the Winter and Summer Paralympics. An endless story because in Rio 2016 she returned to the podium, this time in Para Cycling, with two Bronzes. At Tokyo 2020, she also won a Silver in this discipline and the feeling is that this splendid Paralympic story is not over yet.

The strength of Oksana Masters

The most decorated US athlete in the history of the Winter Paralympics

Oksana Masters was born on June 19, 1989 in Khmelnytskyi in Ukraine, which is located a few hours from Chernobyl, the scene of a terrible nuclear accident in 1986. She was born with tibial hemimelia, meaning her legs were unequal lengths and had no tibia, and with five webbed toes with no thumb, six toes on each foot and only one kidney. It is very likely that her biological mother's exposure to radiation was the cause of this. Adopted by Gay Masters, a university teacher, at the age of 7 she moved to the United States and at 13 she became passionate about sport through rowing.

Today we are talking about a legend of Paralympic sport with 17 medals in 4 different disciplines (Para Cross Country Skiing, Para Biathlon, Para Cycling and Para Rowing). A fantastic sporting story that began with the London 2012 Paralympics, where she won a Bronze in Para Rowing. In Beijing 2022, thanks to 7 medals in 7 events in Para Cross Country Skiing and Para Biathlon, she became the most successful Paralympic athlete from the United States of America in the history of the Winter Paralympics making the podium on 14 occasions. Her story is a huge inspiration to anyone who loves sport and life, which is why the Guardian has included her among the 10 US athletes to follow.

Giacomo Bertagnolli, the golden boy of Para Alpine Skiing

63 World Cup medals, 11 world medals, 8 Paralympic and 2 General World Cups: these are the numbers of Giacomo Bertagnolli, the golden boy of Para Alpine Skiing. Born in Cavalese on 18 January 1999, he has been visually impaired since birth. He learned to ski almost immediately after learning to walk, but he also has a great passion for Para Ice Hockey. 

At 13 he discovered Paralympic sport, chose Para Alpine Skiing and having always been very competitive, he achieved immediate success. At just 15 years old he achieved his first European Cup podium in the Giant Slalom. In the 2014 - 2015 season he joined the national team. At 17 he won the 2016 World Cup. His first Winter Paralympics was Pyeongchang 2018, where he achieved the maximum result in Giant and Special Slalom in the visually impaired category. Also in that edition he came second in the Super G and third in the Downhill. Having demonstrated such sporting and human value, and following another World Cup victory in 2020, he has been designated as the Flag Bearer for Beijing 2022. At the Chinese Paralympics he won 4 medals, 2 Gold and 2 Silver, respectively in the Special Slalom, the Super Combined, the Super G and the Giant Slalom. An exceptional talent, thanks also to the support of his guide, Andrea Ravelli. Giacomo has no intention of stopping and we are sure that he will give us much more at Milano Cortina 2026.

To find out everything about the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic sports, visit the dedicated page.