DAILY COUNTDOWN 5 – Champions and challengers take on the 10km Interval Start

Wednesday (March 11) marks another thrilling day of skiing action at the Winter Paralympic Games in Milano Cortina. We’re staying at the Tesero Skiing Stadium as more Cross-Country stars take center stage.

This time it is the turn of the 10km Interval Start Classic, as this middle-distance outing returns to the big stage once more for many of these hopefuls, providing another opportunity to win some Paralympic hardware.

Read on for the full breakdown of day five, where six sets of medals will be awarded.

Medal Events Day 5 – Wednesday, March 11

• 09:45 CET: Women’s 10km Interval Start Classic – sitting – results

• 10:10 CET: Men’s 10km Interval Start Classic – sitting – results

• 11:05 CET: Women’s 10km Interval Start Classic – standing – results

• 11:35 CET: Men’s 10km Interval Start Classic – standing – results

• 12:25 CET: Women’s 10km Interval Start Classic – vision impaired – results

• 12:55 CET: Men’s 10km Interval Start Classic – vision impaired – results

Across the Games, a total of 58 Paralympic medal events will take place in ski and snowboard disciplines. 30 of those are in Alpine, 20 of which come in Cross-Country, and the remaining eight unfold in Snowboard.

• Click here for the full Winter Paralympic schedule

Athletes & Storylines to Watch

Women’s 10km Interval Start Classic

Linn Kazmaier (GER), guided by Florian Baumann, has been the best-performing skier on the World Cup circuit this season, as she looks to retain the title she won four years ago in Beijing. The 19-year-old has been involved on the snow with the biathlon, but Cross-Country is her strongest discipline. Wang Yue (CHN), guided by Chen Guoming, is already a double Paralympic champion at Milano Cortina with back-to-back biathlon golds and, having won silver in this race four years ago, could go for the podium again. Leonie Maria Walter (GER), with guide Christian Krasman, has also been a top contender in the 2025/26 season, vying for her first Paralympic gold in this discipline.

Vilde Nilsen (NOR) stormed to the top of the World Cup standings this term with impressive performances in the 10km and is the heavyweight favorite to replicate that form on this stage. There is plenty of Ukrainian interest in this race, too, including defending Paralympic champion Oleksandra Kononova (UKR) and Beijing bronze medalist Iryna Bui (UKR), who are two of four skiers inside the World Cup top 10. Compatriot Liudmyla Liashenko (UKR) is perhaps best placed to challenge Nilsen, finishing just behind the Norwegian this season. Watch out for U.S. duo Danielle Aravich (USA) and Sydney Peterson (USA), too.

There was no women’s Sitting 10km IS at Beijing, but there is still plenty of talent set to contest the middle-distance race. U.S. duo Oksana Masters (USA) and Kendall Gretsch (USA) have been the best-performing skiers in the World Cup across 2025/26. Kim Yunji (KOR) and Anja Wicker (GER) are also in the mix as these skiers go for the first podium in this distance, within this category, since Vancouver 2010.

Men’s 10km Interval Start Classic

At Beijing, men’s Sitting was the only category to contest this distance. Defending champion Mao Zhongwu (CHN) and silver Zheng Peng (CHN) have dropped in the World Cup standings this year, but with an otherwise strong build-up to these Games, are still well within their means to contest a podium finish. The good news for Italians is that the bronze medalist from four years ago, Giuseppe Romele (ITA), has been the best-performing skier across 2025/26 and could very well bring more glory to the hosts.

Milano Cortina marks the return of the 10km for men’s VI, which is ideal news for Jake Adicoff (USA), guided by Reid Goble. The 30-year-old finished second in this race eight years ago at PyeongChang, giving him the perfect platform to bounce back from a difficult World Cup circuit this season. Zebastian Modin (SWE) – guided by Emil Talsi – is well poised to challenge for gold after finishing top of this term’s standings. He won silver in the 12.5km four years ago. Just behind him on that podium was Dmytro Suiarko (UKR), guided by Oleksandr Nikonovych, who has been the third-best performer in the most recent World Cup.

Men’s Standing will also contest this race again for the first time in eight years, with Ukrainian skiers among the top competitors in this category. Serafym Drahun (UKR) leads the overall standings for this season, while compatriots Nazar Shevchyk (UKR) and Grygorii Vovchynskyi (UKR) are also inside the top 10. Sebastian Marburger (GER) and Stefan Egger-Riedmüller (AUT) have each had notable breakout seasons in Cross-Country, making for an open cohort of medal hopefuls.

Through My Eyes | A Special Letter

I Love Snow is a campaign that shines a light beyond results and podiums, focusing on the personal journeys that lead athletes to the Paralympic stage. In Through My Eyes | A Special Letter, selected competitors share their reflections on preparation, pressure and what it truly means to compete at these Games.

Today’s feature comes from Danielle Aravich (USA), whose mental fortitude has taken her from moments of doubt to self-recognition as one of the best.

I Love Snow

“I LOVE Snow – Passion Beyond Limits” brings fans closer to the athletes and stories that power snow sports across every FIS discipline – Olympic and Paralympic alike. The promise: authentic and emotional storytelling that turns moments into lasting fandom beyond Milano Cortina 2026.