American Paralympian Jake Adicoff won his second gold medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympics, dominating the men's visually impaired 10km cross-country skiing event. With guide Reid Goble, Adicoff finished 1:48.7 ahead of second-place finisher Inkki Inola of Finland. The victory marks another achievement for the out gay skier from Idaho.
Jake Adicoff, a visually impaired cross-country skier from Idaho, claimed his second gold medal in as many days at the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympics. On Wednesday, he triumphed in the men's 10km visually impaired interval start classic race at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago, Italy, with guide Reid Goble. Adicoff crossed the finish line 1:48.7 minutes ahead of Finland's Inkki Inola, who took silver.
The day before, on Tuesday, Adicoff had won gold in the 1.5km visually impaired sprint, guided by Peter Wolter. That victory came by a narrow 1.5-second margin after Adicoff posted the third-fastest qualifying time and advanced through the semifinals. These individual golds make Adicoff the first out male Paralympic athlete from any country to win an individual gold medal, building on his previous team gold in the mixed relay at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics.
Adicoff, who became visually impaired due to his mother's chicken pox during pregnancy, trains with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. He is supported by former NCAA skiers Wolter, from Middlebury College, and Goble, from Michigan Tech, both of whom he met as youth skiers in Idaho. The trio's friendship dates back to high school and summer training, and they now split guiding duties—a rare arrangement that provides backup and maximizes performance.
"Remove the skiing … Jake, Reid and I are really good friends," Wolter said. "So it's a really cool opportunity to be in Italy with some of your best friends."
Goble added that the team aspect enhances the experience: "It's been pretty awesome to compete with Team USA and Jake and Reid and bring that whole team aspect back."
Adicoff has emphasized the importance of visibility: “Going to the Paralympics, being a gay athlete there, showing that it’s possible to reach this upper echelon of sport as an out athlete and as a para athlete, that’s super important to me.”
Their college backgrounds, including lessons in teamwork and balance, have shaped their Paralympic success.
