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By Keiran Gorsky, Dan Plouffe & Martin Cleary
A snow-sprayed final day of competition brought delight and disappointment for Ottawa Paralympians. Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith skied to bronze in the visually impaired slalom in Cortina d’Ampezzo, while Canada’s para hockey team fell 6–2 to the United States in the gold medal game.
Skier Julie Klotz’s career followed a remarkably similar trajectory to her daughter, Smith. A national champion and Olympic hopeful for the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Klotz’s dreams were dashed when she was forced to undergo surgery for a back injury the year before.
Much like Smith, Klotz wound up sliding down Olympic slopes in a capacity she never anticipated. As a forerunner, she inspected the hill before the competition began, ensuring the course was safe and suitable for racing. Klotz might not have gotten to compete, but she still holds the memory close to her heart.
“The crowds were amazing and so supportive,” she recalled in a 2018 CBC feature. “They didn’t seem to differentiate that I was only forerunning.”
Klotz and Smith woke up to a foot-and-a-half of snow at their hotel in Val Gardena this morning. That made for a zigzagging hour-long drive through the Dolomites to catch the slalom race in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where volunteers had to clear off the snow-covered stands.
The fog grew so thick, they couldn’t see Smith and Eriksson on their final run until they had crossed the finish line. The speakers muted, the crowd hushed, all they could hear were their voices carrying through the snow. Klotz, coaches and technicians descended on the base of the hill to celebrate afterwards.
“Nothing like giving us the hardest day on the last day,” Klotz laughed during a call with the Ottawa Sports Pages’ Kieran Gorsky.
As for their parallel careers, Klotz all but chalks it up as a coincidence. Klotz was there to support her daughter after that sad string of injuries, but it was Smith who charted her own path at every turn. If her knee had stayed intact – if none of it ever happened – she never would have met her future partner on and off the hill.
“The fact that I got a second chance at ski racing and to really be on the World Cup stage alongside Kalle has made ski racing that much better and I have loved every single minute of it,” Sierra told Alpine Canada after the race.
Today was actually the first time Klotz and husband Trevor Smith ever met Kalle’s father and coach Lasse Eriksson in person. The two families had exchanged pictures and text messages before they finally came together for the super combined event on Tuesday, where Klotz met Kalle’s mother Andrea.
“There were just a lot of hugs, as if we’d known each other forever,” Klotz said. “Today, there were tears when we said goodbye. We did say, you know, this is the best introduction we could have ever had, meeting them over medals.”
In the race today, Eriksson and Smith were the second pair out of the gate. The two stayed close together down the slope, Smith being careful not to brush the poles too roughly so as not to strike her partner in the face. They finished in third with a time of 46.45.
The snowfall turned into more of a squall by their second run in the afternoon, where the two could hardly be seen on camera. Counterintuitively, every competitor who managed to cross the finish line on their first runs proceeded to improve their time on the second. Eriksson and Smith combined for a total time of 1:31.26 to secure bronze – their third medal at these Paralympics.
WATCH CBC SPORTS | Canadian skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith win 3rd medal of Milano-Cortina Paralympics
“I think we brought a great mentality today, just to go out there and have fun and really enjoy the last day of races,” Eriksson said.
Canada has chances but USA takes control in 3rd period of para ice hockey final
It was a valiant effort, but the Canadian para ice hockey team fell 6-2 to the United States in the gold medal game. American defenceman Jack Wallace tormented Canada’s back end all game long, tallying four goals on the evening. SHEO alumni Anton Jacobs-Webb and Rob Armstrong both logged significant minutes, while Tyrone Henry was one of three Canadian players who didn’t see the ice.
Jacobs-Webb registered the first shot of the game, stickhandling around America’s star forward Declan Farmer and firing one into the glove of goaltender Griffin LaMarre.
Jacobs-Webb took his first penalty of the competition later in the first period for grabbing onto forward Brett Bolton during a mad scramble in front of the Canadian net. Wallace scored his first on the resulting power play.
Liam Hickey tied the game at one early in the second period, though it didn’t last long. Canada’s Zach Lavin coughed up the puck in front of the net and Armstrong was unable to catch the USA’s Kayden Beasley before he slipped it in. Wallace then beat a pinching Armstrong to a loose puck and made it 3-1 off a breakaway.
Armstrong and his defensive corps struggled all evening to feed passes through a speedy American forecheck.
“We’re heartbroken right now, and it’s hard to really think of what just happened,” captain Tyler McGregor told The Canadian Press. “I just want to go spend time with them, enjoy every minute we can together and move forward.”
Wallace got his hat trick early in the third period, though Hickey stole one back with a powerful wrist shot from the edge of the face-off circle.
Canada had a golden opportunity to get back into the game on a late power play, but Wallace quickly quashed all hopes for a miracle when he poked home a short-handed goal. Jacobs-Webb won the following face-off, but Dominic Cozzolino dropped his stick, allowing Brody Roybal to tuck it into an empty net and complete the rout.
Canada coach Boris Rybalka opted to remain optimistic despite the result.
“We’re excited about the future, our next gen and the development and the players coming up. Management has done an outstanding job starting to set things up already for this year and for the next four years,” Rybalka said. “Canada will be at the top of the mountain, and we’re looking forward to it for the next four years.”
Over in Tesero, Emma Archibald did not compete in today’s 20 km Interval Start after coming down with the flu. That was something she expressed fear about before the competition. The 22-year-old cross-country skier had narrowly avoided getting sick before departing for Europe when her coach came down with a cold.
“I took vitamin C almost every day before leaving,” she told the Ottawa Sports Pages’ Keiran Gorsky before the Paralympics.
Sunday was the final day of the Paralympics, but we’ll be back once more with some final thoughts on the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
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