Americans Oksana Masters, Aaron Pike, and Kendall Gretsch each earned multiple medals at the 2025-26 FIS Para Cross-Country World Cup opener in Canmore, Canada, December 4-7,  making the podium in at least two races apiece.

For 14-time Winter Paralympic medalist Masters, the weekend marked her return to the World Cup stage nearly after two years. She missed the entire 2024-25 season due to a bone infection in her leg, rendering her unable to wear her prosthetic legs for four months.

Despite flying off the course and crashing 30 seconds into her first race of the weekend, the women's 10km interval start (sitting), Masters pushed through the end of the race, claiming 2nd for her first medal of the season. She finished the weekend with gold medals in the 1km sprint (sitting) and the 10km mass start (sitting), making the podium in each race she entered. 

After the first weekend of competition, Masters is ranked first overall in World Cup standings.

Pike also skied to the podium in each of his races, finishing 2nd in the 1km sprint (sitting) and the 10km mass start (sitting). In Canmore, he was the only American man to crack the top five in any race.

Pike, who is engaged to Masters, already has qualified for the 2026 Paralympics with his 2025 world title in para biathlon.

Gretsch earned bronze medals in the 10km interval start (sitting) and 10km mass start (sitting). In her third race of the weekend, the 1km sprint (sitting), Gretsch finished 4th. She currently is ranked third overall in World Cup standings.

The World Cup serves as the primary way to qualify for the 2026 Paralympic team. 

At the 2022 Beijing Paralympics, the United States brought home more medals in the two Paralympic Nordic skiing disciplines — biathlon and cross-country skiing — than any other sport, including a historic first-ever gold medal in the mixed 4x2.5km cross-country relay.

The Para Cross-Country World Cup will resume Jan. 5, 2026, in Bozeman, Montana. The IBU Para Biathlon World Cup, in which the three athletes also will compete, begins December 11, also in Canmore.