World Cup Stop Gave U.S. Nordic Skiers A Sneak Peak Of 2026 Paralympic Venue

Nicole Zaino felt a sense of fear the night before one of her races at a Para Nordic skiing world cup event in Val di Fiemme, Italy, this past winter.

She admitted it had been a long time since she had experienced that emotion prior to a race. But she was worried about a specific section of the course where paramedics would be “very strategically placed” — as she put it — by one of the corners.

Zaino, who’s a member of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing development team, didn’t want to crash while going around that section of the course on her sit ski.

“It was just being able to (think to myself), ‘OK, I can do this,’” Zaino said. “Trusting myself and just skiing the best I could, and then coming back a few days later to ski that course again in another race and just pushing it harder and harder.”

Zaino conquered her fear, and in the process, she got a sneak peek at the venue where the Nordic skiing events will be held during the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

A group of 12 U.S. skiers combined to win four gold medals and a bronze medal at the world cup in Val di Fiemme, which took place in late January and early February

It was a welcome opportunity for the athletes, especially those like Zaino who hope to return to northern Italy for the Paralympics next March. The world cup allowed them to get familiar with the different courses they could be racing at during next year’s Winter Paralympics, as well as the larger region. Athletes also got a feel for what the conditions might be like during their various biathlon and cross-country skiing events.

“The sprint course is all in a stadium, and so it definitely has its challenges. The only hills are like little manmade hills, and so you can see the whole course from the start,” said Zaino, who hopes to make her Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina.

“And so definitely I’m thinking about how that went (during the world cup) and like, ‘OK, how can I try to improve my skiing in specific ways that can help me perform better at that venue next year hopefully?’”

U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing kicked off its 2025 international racing schedule at the world cup in Val di Fiemme, which consisted of four days of racing spread out over five days.

A seven-time Paralympic medalist in Nordic skiing and the triathlon, Kendall Gretsch said she had never raced in Val di Fiemme before competing at the world cup there this past season. She made the most of the trip.

Gretsch won a gold medal in the women’s sit skiing biathlon sprint pursuit event on Jan. 29, the first day of the world cup. She followed it up three days later by earning a bronze in the cross-country skiing sprint classic race, and she took gold in the 10-kilometer race to close out the world cup on Feb. 2.

Gretsch is preparing to qualify for her third Winter Paralympics — and fifth Paralympics overall — at Milano Cortina. She’ll be considered among the favorites to win a gold in both the biathlon and cross-country skiing, and her time at the world cup gave her an idea of the type of conditions to expect in Val di Fiemme next winter.

She said the courses there are “very fast” with not a lot of big hills to climb.

“I think the most interesting thing is going to be the snow in March,” said Gretsch, who’s a member of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing national team. “We were there in January this year, and it was already pretty warm. So, I think we can definitely expect to have some spring conditions for next year’s Games.”

Zhenghong Schlechte is a promising standing skier and a Paralympic hopeful from Mahtomedi, Minnesota. The teenager was among the youngest athletes who competed for U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing in Val di Fiemme. It was his first time racing at a world cup.

Schlechte laughed as he described one of the courses there as “painful.” It had a long, steep hill right out of the gate that was challenging for him to navigate.

“Overall, it was a really fun course,” Schlechte said. “There was a lot of ups and a lot of downs and turns and stuff. I think it was really fun to race on that course.”

Like Zaino, Schlechte could make his Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina.

While in Val di Fiemme, Zaino made sure to take good notes on the venue and which sections of the course she felt she skied well. She said she’ll be able to turn back to her notes and visualize herself skiing the course in the months leading up to the start of the Winter Paralympics.

“It felt really good and just finding the spots,” Zaino said. “I’m curious what it will end up being (like) next year because I know that course will be different.”

Alex Abrams has written about Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He is a freelance contributor to USParaNordic.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.