Sean O'Neill, a 39-year-old lawyer from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, will represent the United States in wheelchair curling at the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympics. Starting four years ago at the Cape Cod Curling Club, O'Neill has become a key member of the mixed team competing in Cortina, Italy, from March 6. The event features over 600 athletes in six sports, with the US team aiming to end its medal drought in the discipline.
Sean O'Neill discovered wheelchair curling four years ago during a training event at the Cape Cod Curling Club in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The 39-year-old lawyer, who lives nearby, has since become deeply engaged in the sport, which he describes as a blend of physical and mental challenges. "What has kept me so engaged and made me love the sport, I always say, is the combination of the physical and the mental — the strategic piece," O'Neill told GBH News.
Wheelchair curling resembles traditional curling, often called "chess on ice," where players slide stones toward a target called the house while blocking opponents. However, it lacks sweeping with brooms; instead, athletes use a delivery stick up to eight feet long for precision throws. "We have to be that much more precise, more accurate with our shots because there's no sweeping to help," O'Neill explained.
O'Neill is one of seven US athletes preparing for the Paralympics, which begin on March 6, 2026, in Cortina, Italy. The mixed team includes Katie Verderber of Montana, Matt Thums of Wisconsin, Oyuna Uranchimeg of Minnesota, and Dan Rose of Colorado, coached by Pete Annis of Owatonna, Minnesota. A separate mixed doubles pair consists of Laura Dwyer and Steve Emt, both from Wisconsin. The team recently won gold at the 2024 world B championships and has trained intensively in locations like Madison, Milwaukee, and Denver.
Annis, director of USA Curling's wheelchair program, praises O'Neill's strategic acumen: "His knowledge of the game and the strategy is his strong point. He's incredibly smart about how to call the game." The US has never medaled in wheelchair curling, one of two Paralympic sports without a US victory, and has faced recent international challenges. Yet Annis is optimistic, noting four first-time Paralympians, including O'Neill, bring "new enthusiasm."
The mixed team's round-robin games run from March 4 to 12, with semifinals and finals on March 13 and 14. They face strong competition from China, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Norway. O'Neill expressed excitement: "It's really an honor. It is surreal to be going to the Paralympics and I couldn't be more excited, focused."
Coverage will air on NBC and Peacock, matching Olympic production levels. O'Neill credits growing interest to increased visibility: "It's been really gratifying to see Paralympic sports being put on the same level as Olympic sports — as they should be." Young athletes like 16-year-old Mary MacDonald of Taunton, Massachusetts, view O'Neill as a role model, aspiring to Paralympic competition herself.
