Paralympics 2018: U.S. wins 13 golds, 36 medals

The 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea have concluded, and the United States didn’t need much time to start racking up medals. On the first day of competition, Team USA won more gold medals than it secured at the entire 2014 Games in Sochi.

Team USA earned two gold medals four years ago, but on the opening Saturday in South Korea the United States stood atop the podium three times, including in both men’s and women’s biathlon.

In all it was a productive Paralympics for Team USA, who racked up more total medals (36), more golds (13) and more silver medals (15) than any other country.

Gold: 13
Silver: 15
Bronze: 8
Total: 36

Click here for complete medal table.

The first U.S. gold of these Paralympics was the first U.S. gold in the biathlon, with Kendall Gretsch winning the women’s 6km sitting biathlon, with teammate Oksana Masters capturing the bronze.

In the men’s 7.5km sitting biathlon another American came out on top, with Daniel Cnossen winning gold. Cnossen is a former Navy Seal who lost both legs in an explosion in Afghanistan.

Team USA also won gold with Andrew Kurka winning the men’s sitting downhill skiing.

Laurie Stephens captured the bronze win women’s sitting downhill skiing.

Day 2 at the Paralympics was a day of doubling up for a quartet of United States athletes.

Kendall Gretsch struck gold for the second straight day, winning the women’s 12km sitting biathlon one day after winning gold in the 6km.

Also like Saturday, fellow American Oksana Masters took the bronze.

Daniel Cnossen was a double medalist as well. One day after winning gold in the men’s 7.5km sitting biathlon, the former Navy Seal took the silver in the 15k sitting biathlon on Sunday.

One day after winning the men’s sitting downhill, Andrew Kurka captured silver in the sitting super-G.

The US increased its medal total to 15 at the 2018 Paralympics after winning six in snowboard snowcross on Day 3 at the Olympics. Brenna Huckaby and Mike Schultz took gold; Amy Purdy and Keith Gabel captured silver; and the bronze medal winners were Mike Minor and Noah Elliott.

Oksana Masters and Daniel Cnossen each picked up their third medals of these Paralympic Games, taking silver in the women’s 12.5km sitting biathlon and men’s 15k sitting biathlon, respectively.

In snowboarding Team USA picked up even more medals. Brenna Huckaby took the gold and Amy Purdy the bronze in the women’s banked slalom SB-LL1...

... and Brittani Coury captured the silver in women’s banked slalom SB-LL2:

In men’s snowboarding Mike Minor and Noah Elliott won golds in banked slalom SB-UL and SB-LL1 respectively. Mike Schults captured the silver in banked slalom SB-LL1 and Evan Strong won silver in banked slalom SB-LL2.

Oksana Masters won her fourth medal in Pyeongchang, capturing gold in the women’s 5km cross country skiing. This is the fourth Paralympics for Masters, who has competed in a multitude of sports including rowing, skiing and hand cycling. She was voted the flag bearer for Team USA at the closing ceremonies on Sunday.

Her first two golds came this week, two of 13 gold medals for the United States.

The final day of competition saw the most dominant U.S. squad face a worth foe. Team USA and Canada romped through the competition in the sled hockey tournament, each with four dominant blowouts. Those two countries fought a close game until the very end, with Canada taking a 1-0 lead into the final minute of regulation.

Declan Farmer of the United States scored with 37 seconds remaining to tie things up, then 3 minutes into overtime scored again to give Team USA its third consecutive sled hockey Paralympic gold medal.

The United States finished with 13 gold medals and 36 total medals in Pyeongchang, more than any other country.