Australia\u2019s Para snowboard team for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games features trailblazers, world\u00a0champions\u00a0and record-breaking veterans, ready to shred and soar on\u00a0Cortina\u2019s\u00a0snowy\u00a0peaks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leading the squad is multi-sport superstar Amanda Reid, who is set to make history as Australia\u2019s first Indigenous Winter Paralympian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reid, a\u00a0proud Wemba\u00a0Wemba\u00a0and\u00a0Guring-gai woman, has built a career on breaking barriers. A Paralympic champion\u00a0in Para cycling, she transitioned to winter competition in 2023 and\u00a0immediately\u00a0made her mark, claiming gold at the World Para Snowboard Championships in La Molina, Spain. Now, she will take her place on the slopes of Cortina, competing in\u00a0women\u2019s\u00a0banked\u00a0slalom and\u00a0snowboard\u00a0cross\u00a0at the Games, which starts on March 6.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reid\u00a0is among\u00a0a four-strong Australian\u00a0Para snowboard team that blends experience,\u00a0leadership\u00a0and emerging talent.\u00a0Paralympics Australia will announce the Para biathlon\/Para cross-country team on Thursday night (AEDT) and the Para alpine skiing team on Friday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the Para snowboard squad,\u00a0Ben Tudhope returns for his fourth Paralympic Games, having debuted at Sochi 2014 as Australia\u2019s youngest Winter Paralympian at just 14. Over\u00a0nearly a\u00a0decade on the world stage\u00a0\u2013 he recently became the first Australian winter sport athlete to win 50 World Cup event medals \u2013\u00a0Tudhope has forged a reputation for resilience and composure, bringing hard-earned experience and quiet confidence to the squad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Australian\u00a0Paralympic Team captain for Milano Cortina 2026\u00a0Sean Pollard provides steady leadership and perspective, shaping the culture of the team with calm authority and focus. Aaron McCarthy rounds out the team as one of the sport\u2019s rising talents, his fearless approach and raw talent signalling the next wave of Australian Para snowboarding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Paralympics Australia proudly announced the team at a special ceremony in Lenk, Switzerland, where the athletes are finalising preparations before heading to northern Italy for the Games, which\u00a0will start with\u00a0the Opening Ceremony at the Verona Arena.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Para\u00a0snowboard\u00a0team\u00a0is\u00a0(classification in brackets):\u00a0<\/p>\n
Amanda Reid (SB-LL2):\u00a0women\u2019s\u00a0banked\u00a0slalom,\u00a0snowboard\u00a0cross\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ben Tudhope (SB-LL2):\u00a0men\u2019s\u00a0banked\u00a0slalom,\u00a0snowboard\u00a0cross\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sean Pollard (SB-UL):\u00a0men\u2019s\u00a0banked\u00a0slalom,\u00a0snowboard\u00a0cross\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aaron McCarthy (SB-LL1):\u00a0men\u2019s\u00a0banked\u00a0slalom,\u00a0snowboard\u00a0cross\u00a0<\/p>\n
Australian Paralympic Team Chef de Mission Ben Troy said the squad embodies the spirit of Australian sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat excites me most about this Para snowboard team is the mix of experience, talent and sheer heart,\u201d\u00a0Troy\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBen\u2019s experience across four Games, Sean\u2019s\u00a0leadership\u00a0and Aaron\u2019s emerging firepower\u00a0\u2013\u00a0they have the balance and depth to make a real impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis team reflects the\u00a0very best\u00a0of Australian sport \u2013 resilience, mateship,\u00a0courage\u00a0and belief. They push one another, they back one another, and they bring the kind of energy that lifts everyone around them.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0ready to ride!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Troy said Reid\u2019s milestone carried\u00a0particular weight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAmanda\u2019s journey is extraordinary,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cShe\u00a0has already reached the pinnacle of Paralympic\u00a0sport yet\u00a0continues to challenge herself in new arenas. Stepping onto the snow at Milano Cortina is not just another competition for her,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a moment of national significance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s opening doors, honouring her heritage and showing young Indigenous Australians that no dreams are beyond reach.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Reid and her teammates, Milano Cortina is more than a competition, it is a powerful statement that Australian Para sport is accelerating, breaking\u00a0barriers\u00a0and proudly reflecting the depth and diversity of modern Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By: Ashley Gillespie, Paralympics Australia<\/p>\n
Published: 25 February 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s Para snowboard team for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games features trailblazers, world\u00a0champions\u00a0and record-breaking veterans, ready…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":502934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-502933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/502934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}