Ukraine Climbs to Second Place with Four Medals on Day Two of 2026 Paralympics

Day Two of the 2026 Paralympic Games

According to Главком: The second day of competition at the Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026 Paralympics took place on March 8, 2026. Ten gold medals were awarded across two sports: para biathlon and para snowboarding. The Ukrainian team delivered an impressive performance, securing four medals. This haul brings Ukraine's total medal count at these Games to ten, propelling the nation into second place in the overall medal standings, trailing only the leading team from China.

Competition Results

Several individual races were held in para biathlon. The results are as follows:

• Women (Sitting Class):
  • Gold - Yunjee Kim (South Korea)
  • Silver - Anja Wicker (Germany)
  • Bronze - Kendall Gretsch (USA)
• Men (Sitting Class):
  • Gold - Jixiu Liu (China)
  • Silver - Zhongwu Mao (China)
  • Bronze - Taras Rad (Ukraine)
• Women (Standing Class):
  • Gold - Natalie Wilkie (Canada)
  • Silver - Zhiqin Zhao (China)
  • Bronze - Oleksandra Kononova (Ukraine)
• Men (Standing Class):
  • Gold - Jiayun Kai (China)
  • Silver - Mark Arendz (Canada)
  • Bronze - Marco Maier (Germany)

Events were also held in para snowboarding. The results:

• Women (LL2 Class):
  • Gold - Cecile Hernandez (France)
  • Silver - Katy Delson (USA)
  • Bronze - Xinyu Wang (China)
• Men (LL1 Class):
  • Gold - Zhongwei Wu (China)
  • Silver - Noah Elliott (USA)
  • Bronze - Tyler Turner (Canada)
• Men (LL2 Class):
  • Gold - Emanuel Perathoner (Italy)
  • Silver - Ben Tudhope (Australia)
  • Bronze - Jihuk Lee (South Korea)
• Men (UL Class):
  • Gold - Lijia Ji (China)
  • Silver - Yonggang Zhu (China)
  • Bronze - Aron Fahrni (Switzerland)

Para biathlon also featured competitions for athletes with a visual impairment. The results:

• Women:
  • Gold - Yue Wang and guide Guomin Chen (China)
  • Silver - Simona Bubeníčková with guide David Šrůtek (Czech Republic)
  • Bronze - Johanna Recktenwald with guide Emily Rose Weiss (Germany)
• Men:
  • Gold - Hesong Dan and guide Hongda Liu (China)
  • Silver - Maksym Murashkovskyi with guide Vitalii Trush (Ukraine)
  • Bronze - Dmytro Suiarko with guide Oleksandr Nikonovych (Ukraine)

The third day of the Paralympics is scheduled for March 9, with six more sets of medals to be awarded. The Paralympic Games are a major quadrennial event showcasing elite sport for athletes with impairments. Day two highlighted intense global competition, with Ukrainian athletes continuing to perform strongly against top-tier rivals. Their growing medal tally underscores the team's resilience and dedicated preparation. The Games continue to draw global attention to the remarkable achievements of para athletes across a wide range of winter sports.