Sydney Peterson of Minnesota claimed her first individual Paralympic gold medal in the women's 10km classic standing cross-country skiing event at the Milan Cortina Games. The 23-year-old skier finished in 29 minutes and 49.2 seconds, edging out Norway's Vilde Nilsen by two seconds. This victory marks her second medal of the Games, following a silver in the standing sprint on Tuesday.
Sydney Peterson, a 23-year-old from Lake Elmo, Minnesota, secured gold in the women's 10km classic standing cross-country skiing race on Wednesday morning at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan Cortina. Her winning time of 29 minutes and 49.2 seconds narrowly beat silver medalist Vilde Nilsen of Norway, who finished two seconds behind. Canada's Brittany Hudak took bronze with a time of 32 minutes.
This gold is Peterson's first individual Paralympic medal, adding to the silver she won in the standing cross-country sprint the previous day. Hailing from Minnesota, Peterson balances her athletic pursuits with academic ambitions, currently pursuing a PhD in neuroscience, as noted by USParaNordic.org.
The close finish highlighted the competitive field in para cross-country skiing, with Peterson standing atop the podium for the first time in her career for an individual event. Her performance underscores her rising prominence in the sport at the Milan Cortina Games.