Hudak and Arendz Secure Bronze for Canada at Milano Cortina Paralympics

Milano Cortina, Italy – Canada’s Mark Arendz and Brittany Hudak both claimed bronze medals in standing cross-country skiing on Wednesday at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, bringing Canada’s medal count to 10.

Arendz Adds to Paralympic Legacy

Mark Arendz, a five-time Paralympian from Hartsville, Prince Edward Island, secured his 14th career Paralympic medal with a time of 27 minutes 59.3 seconds in the men’s 10-kilometre interval start classic standing race. CBC Sports reports he finished behind France’s Karl Tabouret (27:10.7) and Belarus’ Raman Svirydzenka (27:38.4). This marks his second medal of the Games, following a silver medal in the individual biathlon on Sunday.

Arendz acknowledged the challenging conditions, stating, “I was battling the conditions for sure and I’m kind of starting to feel the fact that this was the fourth race in five days but I am really happy.” He too noted the impact of the slushy snow, adding, “Anything that’s not hard snow is always going to take a lot more energy out of you.”

Hudak Earns First Medal in Italy

Brittany Hudak of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, earned her fourth Paralympic medal and first of these Games with a bronze in the women’s 10-kilometre interval start classic standing race, finishing in 32:01.0. TSN reports she placed behind American Sydney Peterson (29:49.2) and Norway’s Vilde Nilsen (29:51.8).

Hudak, a co-captain of Canada’s Paralympic delegation competing in her fourth Games, has been managing the effects of a knee injury for the past year and a half. Despite this, she expressed her satisfaction with the result, saying, “It feels so good. I was really happy with my races at the start of the Games and I really feel like my fitness is there, the technique is there. It’s really just kind of putting together a good race.”

Canada’s Medal Count Continues to Grow

With these additions, Canada now has a total of 10 medals at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games – one gold, three silver, and six bronze. Paralympic.ca confirms that the Canadian nordic skiing team has contributed six of these medals, with three in cross-country skiing and three in biathlon. The country is now at 198 total Winter Paralympic medals, nearing the 200-medal milestone.

Other Canadian Results

Emma Archibald of Fall River, Nova Scotia, finished sixth in the women’s 10km classic standing race with a time of 35:26.8.