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The Milano Cortina Paralympic program at the Tesero Cross-country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme produced another day of podium finishes for Canada. In separate men’s and women’s 10-kilometre events contested as an interval start format — where each athlete begins individually against the clock — Mark Arendz and Brittany Hudak both climbed onto the podium to claim bronze medals. The performances came in challenging, softened snow conditions that tested endurance and technique and underscored Canada’s depth in para nordic skiing.
Arendz’s result marked a significant career milestone: the veteran added his 14th career Paralympic medal while Hudak extended her own medal collection to four bronzes. Their results helped sustain Canada’s strong early showing at the Games, and both athletes emphasized the physical and mental demands of racing on slushy tracks that sap energy and alter climbing dynamics. The day also featured several other noteworthy finishes across nordic and wheelchair curling events, including a historic first Winter Paralympic medal for Latvia in mixed doubles wheelchair curling.
Mark Arendz: veteran consistency in difficult snow
The 36-year-old from Hartsville, P.E.I., completed the men’s 10km standing classic in 27:59.3 to secure bronze behind France’s Karl Tabouret (27:10.7) and Belarus’ Raman Svirydzenka (27:38.4). Arendz, a five-time Paralympian who also took silver in the individual biathlon this past Sunday, described the race as a battle against conditions as much as opponents. Racing four times in five days, he said the softer track meant extra effort on climbs and less efficient push-off, forcing athletes to manage energy carefully over repeated laps.
How conditions reshaped the race
The warmer temperatures left the course slushy, a factor that multiplies physical cost on every ascent and reduces glide on descents. Arendz noted that the steepest climb felt several times tougher because skis sank into the surface and offered little positive purchase. Tactically, that meant pacing became even more important: athletes had to balance explosive bursts with sustainable propulsion, knowing that repeated laps would compound fatigue. Despite the unfavorable snow, Arendz’s ability to adapt yielded a podium spot and added another highlight to his extensive Paralympic résumé.
Brittany Hudak: resilience and range across nordic disciplines
Brittany Hudak, co-captain of the Canadian delegation and competing at her fourth Games, posted a time of 32:01.0 to capture bronze in the women’s 10km interval start standing classic. She finished behind American Sydney Peterson (29:49.2) and Norway’s Vilde Nilsen (29:51.8). Hudak, who has been managing lingering issues from a knee injury over the last year and a half, has demonstrated consistency across both cross-country and biathlon events: she earned bronze in the 15km classic at Beijing 2026 and recorded top-six finishes in biathlon races in Italy despite limited preparation time.
Balance between fitness and technique
Hudak credited strong conditioning and steady execution for her result, saying she accepted the tough snow as a shared challenge and focused on executing each section of the course. The medal brings her Paralympic bronze tally to four — two in cross-country and two in biathlon — and highlights her versatility as a nordic athlete able to perform under pain and inconsistent course surfaces. Teammates like Emma Archibald, who placed sixth in the women’s race in 35:26.8, reinforced the depth of Canada’s squad on a day where marginal gains mattered.
Team totals, other results and a historic curling medal
Canada’s haul at these Games moved the country closer to a milestone of 200 Winter Paralympic medals, with the team sitting at 198 overall following another productive day. Through five days of competition the Canadian delegation collected 10 medals: one gold, three silver and six bronze. The national nordic group accounted for six of those medals, split evenly between cross-country and biathlon. Headliners and role players alike emphasized that teamwork and role clarity have been central to sustaining results across variable conditions.
On the results front, six-time Paralympic medallist Collin Cameron of Bracebridge, Ont., finished sixth in the men’s sitting 10K, one position ahead of Smoky Lake, Alta.’s Derek Zaplotinsky. Russia’s Ivan Golubkov won that event, with China’s Mao Zhongwu and Zheng Peng completing the podium. In the women’s visually impaired race, Russia’s Anastasiia Baggian took gold, Czechia’s Simona Bubenickova silver and Germany’s Leonie Maria Walter bronze, while Canada’s Maddie Mullin placed sixth. Christina Picton was the top Canadian in the women’s sitting race in 12th, with Lyne-Marie Bilodeau five places back.
One of the day’s historic moments arrived in the inaugural wheelchair mixed doubles curling competition, where Latvia’s Poļina Rožkova and Agrs Lasmanis claimed the nation’s first Winter Paralympic medal with an 11-10 extra-end win over the United States pairing of Laura Dwyer and Stephen Emt. Latvia scored three in the seventh end to reclaim momentum after a four-point U.S. sixth end; the U.S. forced an extra end with a one in the eighth, but Lasmanis executed the decisive final delivery. The pairing’s origin traces to a last-minute change at the 2026 World Championship in Richmond, B.C., when Lasmanis stepped in and the duo went on to secure that title — a partnership that has now translated into Paralympic history.
With several events still to come, Canada leaves Val di Fiemme buoyed by depth and adaptability. The combination of veteran leadership, emerging strength and the ability to cope with unpredictable courses suggests the team will remain in contention for more podiums as the Games progress. The resilience shown on slushy tracks and in pressure-filled extra ends underlines a larger theme: these athletes are finding ways to convert adversity into achievement.