US Para Snowboarders Win Two Golds in Banked Slalom

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — American para snowboarders claimed two gold medals in the banked slalom events on Friday at the Milano Cortina Paralympics, capping a strong performance for the United States in the discipline as warm weather prompted organizers to move the final races up a day to avoid rain.

Noah Elliott secured gold in the men's LL1 category with a dominant second run of 58.94 seconds, improving on his first-run time of 58.96 and holding off Japan's Daichi Oguri, who took silver with 59.02. Elliott's teammate Mike Schultz earned bronze in his final Paralympic appearance, crossing the line just behind Oguri. The 28-year-old Elliott, whose left leg was amputated at age 15 due to cancer, described the victory as a personal redemption after a severe injury in 2022 that saw his femur protrude from the stump following delayed surgery to compete in Beijing. There, he finished fourth in snowboard cross, just missing the podium.

"Oh my God, I'm feeling so good," Elliott said after the race, his voice breaking with emotion. "This is exactly what we worked so hard for. I've been working this whole time just to try to get up on that first podium spot." Earlier in the week,...