A silver in banked slalom for new, even stronger Lisa Bunschoten-Vos

Lisa Bunschoten-Vos competed in both banked slalom and snowboard cross since banked slalom was introduced to the Para snowboard programme at PyeongChang 2018.

But at Milano Cortina 2026, she chose to specialise in the banked slalom to make her return from maternity leave more manageable.

“I didn’t make the decision really early,” Lisa said. “Banked slalom straight away went quite good but snowboard cross was a bit harder for me then, so I was like, ‘OK, I’ll give it one more season’, but then I got an injury in December, and I couldn’t fully train on it. I knew how good I could be at banked slalom, so I was like, OK, just full focus on that, and I’m happy I did.”

The strategy paid off as Lisa Bunschoten-Vos won a silver medal in the women’s SB-LL2 on Friday (13 March), an improvement from the bronze she got at PyeongChang 2018.

As soon as she got her medal, Lisa rushed to pick up and kiss her daughter, also giving her the plush mascot, Milo, to play with.

A fellow 30-year-old mom, Brenna Huckaby of USA, shared a podium with her in the bronze medal position. When Huckaby first found out that Bunschoten-Vos was planning a post-pregnancy comeback, the mother-of-two had some words of encouragement.

“I’m a huge fan of Lisa. I always have been,” Huckaby told Olympics.com. “When she had her daughter and she said she was coming back, I was like, ‘Get ready because you’re going to be better’. There’s something that motherhood gives you with a motivation that’s unlike anything else.”

Huckaby’s prophecy came true at Milano Cortina 2026 as Lisa Bunschoten-Vos shared that motherhood has made her more relaxed and mentally ready for Para snowboard racing.

“I can handle the stress a bit more because I know (Jane’s) the most important thing,” she said.

Proud husband Chris Vos, who finished in fifth place in snowboard cross and seventh in banked slalom, had nothing but praise for his wife as she represented the family on the Paralympic podium.

“She is stronger than me mentally and physically sometimes,” Chris said. “She is back on the podium this season, after giving birth and missing a lot of training, and keeping the mindset, and then also with all the nights not sleeping. It’s so cool to see she’s still progressing as well. She just rocks and kicks ass, and that’s really cool.”