Snow moves differently under the morning light in the mountains of northern Italy. It reflects the quiet rhythm of winter sport—the glide of boards across packed powder, the soft anticipation before a race begins, and the echo of cheers rolling down a valley. In such places, victories often arrive not with thunder, but with a steady accumulation of courage.
For Australian para-snowboarder Ben Tudhope, the slopes of Cortina have once again offered a moment of quiet triumph.
At the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, Tudhope added another chapter to his growing story in adaptive sport, claiming bronze in the men’s banked slalom SB-LL2 event. The medal marks his second podium finish at these Games, following an earlier silver medal in the snowboard cross competition.
The race unfolded across the sculpted curves of the banked slalom course, where riders carve through a series of sweeping turns designed to test both precision and speed. Each competitor is given two runs, with the best time deciding the outcome. In such a format, the margin between triumph and near-miss often lies in the smallest adjustments of balance and momentum.
Italy’s Emanuel Perathoner captured the gold medal in front of a home crowd, while Switzerland’s Fabrice von Grünigen finished second to claim silver. Tudhope followed close behind to secure bronze, finishing just over a second behind the Swiss rider.
For Tudhope, the result represents not only another medal but also a continuation of his remarkable consistency on the Paralympic stage. Born with cerebral palsy that affects movement on his left side, the Sydney-born athlete has steadily built one of Australia’s most notable winter Paralympic careers.
His bronze in Cortina now brings his total to three Paralympic medals across multiple Games. It also means that Australia’s most recent winter Paralympic podium finishes have all come from the same snowboarder, stretching back to the Beijing Games in 2022.
Yet the journey to this latest medal was not without challenge. Earlier in the week, Tudhope had already pushed through physical adversity to win silver in snowboard cross after briefly dislocating his shoulder during competition. The injury, quickly managed by medical staff, did little to dampen his determination to keep racing.
Those who follow the sport closely often describe Tudhope as a rider who blends calm focus with quiet competitiveness. After the banked slalom final, he reflected with a characteristic mix of humility and ambition, noting that while bronze was satisfying, the pursuit of gold still fuels his training and preparation.
The atmosphere at the Cortina Para Snowboard Park mirrored the wider spirit of the Paralympic Games—where stories of resilience often carry as much weight as the medals themselves. For athletes from across the world, the slopes serve as both a sporting arena and a reminder of what persistence can shape over time.
Around the course, the cheers of spectators blended with the crisp winter air as riders completed their runs, carving arcs into the snow that would soon be smoothed away by the next competitor.
For Australia’s winter sports community, Tudhope’s performance offers another moment of pride and continuity. As the Games continue in Italy, his medals stand as a reflection of both individual dedication and the steady growth of adaptive snow sports on the international stage.
The Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics run through mid-March, with athletes from around the world continuing to compete across alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, and other winter disciplines. For Ben Tudhope, the bronze medal in the banked slalom is another milestone—one more turn in a journey that, like the mountain slopes themselves, continues to unfold.
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