CORTINA, Italy — Team USA secured gold in the mixed 4×2.5km relay Saturday morning at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, highlighting a day of relay racing as Para cross-country competition continued at the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games.

The United States team of Joshua Sweeney, Oksana Masters, Sydney Peterson and Jake Adicoff, guided by Reid Goble, captured the title. Ukraine finished second, 12.5 seconds behind, with China earning bronze.

Later in the day, China captured gold in the open 4×2.5km relay, finishing ahead of Germany and Norway in a tightly contested race.

Both relays were held under cloudy skies on firm, icy snow at the long-standing Nordic venue in Val di Fiemme, where mass-start relay races brought teams together on the 2.5-kilometer loops.

Mixed Relay

The mixed relay opened the day with 10 teams starting simultaneously in the mass-start format, each skier completing a 2.5-kilometer leg before entering the exchange zone.

The American lineup entered the race as one of the deepest teams in the field. Masters, Peterson and Adicoff had already won gold medals earlier in the Games, giving the United States a relay squad loaded with champions.

Sweeney led off for the United States and positioned the team near the front early. Germany briefly controlled the pace on the opening leg, but Sweeney kept the Americans within striking distance heading into the first exchange.

Masters took over on the second leg and continued to keep the United States in contention, battling with several of the leading skiers as the race tightened through the middle stages.

“It feels so unreal,” Masters said afterward. “Four times just feels like a fake number right now. For it to be gold is just a dream.”

Peterson skied the third leg for Team USA and maintained contact with the leaders despite the constantly shifting positions caused by the factored time system.

“I got tagged off in such a strong position,” Peterson said. “Josh and Oksana had great legs and I was just trying to hold on for dear life.”

That set up the anchor for Adicoff and guide Reid Goble.

When Peterson completed her lap, the United States trailed Ukraine by roughly 48 seconds. Adicoff attacked the course immediately and steadily closed the gap through the final kilometers.

On the finishing stretch, Adicoff surged into the lead and crossed the line first to secure the victory. Goble, in an humble act, slowed at the finish allowing Adicoff to take the finish on his own.

“You can’t talk about the last leg without talking about the first three,” Adicoff said. “Those were some crazy performances from our team.”

Open Relay

The open 4×2.5km relay followed later in the morning with 11 teams competing after Czechia did not start the race.

The United States lineup featured Erin Martin, Michael Kneeland, Max Nelson with guide Gus Schatzlein, and Jack Berry.

Martin opened the race for Team USA before handing off to Kneeland, with Nelson skiing the third leg and Berry anchoring the final lap.

At the front of the race, the battle for the podium developed between China, Germany, Norway and France through the middle legs. The lead changed several times as teams navigated the rolling course and the time adjustments based on classification percentages.

China ultimately pulled ahead on the anchor leg to win the race. Germany finished second, 5.4 seconds behind, while Norway narrowly edged Ukraine for bronze.

Team USA completed the relay in 11th place, gaining valuable experience in the only cross-country team event of the Games.

Cross-Country Competition Winding Down

The relay competitions marked the only day of Para cross-country team event skiing in Tesero. The Nordic program concludes Sunday with the 20-kilometer distance race to close out the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games.