Ben Tudhope wins Australia’s first medal, Amanda Reid taken to hospital
Cortina: Four-time Paralympian Ben Tudhope claimed his first Paralympic silver medal and Australia’s first medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympic Games.
Tudhope, 26, won silver in the men’s snowboard cross SB-LL2 category after dislocating his shoulder in the quarterfinals earlier in the day. This was Australia’s second Paralympic medal after winning bronze in this event at the 2022 Beijing Games, where it was Australia’s only medalist.
Silver medalist Ben Tudhope of Australia, gold medalist Emanuel Perathoner of Italy and bronze medalist Lee Jehyuk of South Korea pose with their medals after clearing SB-LL2 in the men’s snowboard race.Credit: access point
“I can’t really describe it,” he said after the race. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet. The first heat was a crazy race, it just shows I’m trying to get to the semi-finals and then the final.”
“My shoulder popped out on the first throw coming out of the starting gate… It was absolutely insane to get this medal and the senior medical team treated me so well and so we decided I could continue after the injury.”
Between the quarter and semi-final races, Tudhope was treated by team doctors at the top of the hill, where his shoulder remained heavily strapped for the remainder of the race.
“After that, I was kind of in focus mode the whole time. Normally I’m calm and pretty friendly, pretty happy… As you probably saw on camera, I wasn’t the one laughing. Now I am.”
“To be able to achieve that and ensure that the Australian Winter Paralympic legacy continues, I think it’s a medal at every Games since 1992. I’m proud to be Australian.”
Ben Tudhope’s shoulder was heavily strapped after dislocating it during Saturday’s first heat. Credit: Getty Images
Italian Emanuel Perathoner won the gold medal for the first time at the Paralympic Games. The 39-year-old is a former Olympic snowboarder and won a bronze medal at the 2019 snowboardcross World Championships. He was classified for the Paralympic Games in 2021 after an accident during training resulted in a complete replacement knee replacement.
