A motto that captures the essence of the Paralympic spirit resonates deeply across the venues of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympic Games every day — just showing up is, itself, a victory.
The lone silhouette of a skier gliding down a mountain is, for many, the enduring image of winter sports. For visually impaired athletes, however, their experience on the snow is never lonely.
A relatively new prosthetic leg, a bruised face from falls during training, and a less-than-ideal starting position — all the odds seemed stacked against China's para snowboarder Wu Zhongwei as he entered his first final at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics on Sunday.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Nearly an hour after leaving the crowd in awe and opponents stunned, Chinese speed skater Ning Zhongyan still couldn't take in the magnitude of his achievement — pulling off what is arguably the race of his life that many have hailed as a game changer in the sport.
