The USOPC officially announced the full roster for the 2026 US Paralympic Team. At 72 athletes (including four guides for visually impaired competitors), this is the largest continent Team USA has ever sent to the Winter Paralympics. It includes 44 returning Paralympians, 25 previous medalists, and 24 first-time Paralympians.
You can get the whole story at usopc.org. A few quick facts about the roster:
* Twenty-five states are represented, with Minnesota (8), Wisconsin (7), Colorado (6), and Massachusetts (6) boasting the largest number of athletes.
* The roster includes 48 men and 20 women, plus four male guides.
* The Para Nordic skiing team includes three dual winter-summer athletes: Oksana Masters (cycling), Aaron Pike (track and field) and Kendall Gretsch (paratriathlon). All three return to the Paralympic stage less than two years after the Paris Paralympic Games in September 2024.Â
* Oksana Masters enters the 2026 Winter Paralympics as the most decorated US Winter Paralympian of all-time and the only American athlete to win seven medals in a single Paralympic Games.
* There are nine athletes who self-identify as military veterans: four Army, three Marine, and two Navy. Â
* Two athletes head to Milano Cortina with seven prior Paralympic Games appearances on their resumes: Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike. Laurie Stephens boasts five.
* Skier Maragaret Gustafson is the youngest athlete on the team at the age of 16. Wheelchair curler Stephen Emt is the oldest US athlete at 52 years old. Â
* Sled hockey remains the most decorated team in the sport’s history heading to Milan with four consecutive titles and five overall Paralympic golds. Â
