Debuting in the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics, para snowboarding is a unique sport that’s split into two categories: banked slalom, and cross snowboarding. This year, women athletes competed on March 13th for a medal in the banked slalom category, and team USA’s Kate Delson came away with gold. Competing against her friend and role model, however, the event was more about VISibility in the sport and supporting other women athletes than the medals themselves.

Kate Delson 

Born with a congenital disability that left her without most of the muscles in her left leg, Kate Delson made her name known at the 2026 Winter Paralympics. Competing in the banked slalom category, she won a gold for Team USA.As if that isn’t impressive enough, Delson is also the youngest Paralympic snowboarder this year and is competing at her first Winter Games. 

“[I’m] with my best friend in this beautiful weather, in this beautiful place,” Delson said after winning a gold medal in snowboard cross by a narrow window of 0.54 seconds. “It feels like winning.” 

And her best friend? None other than Brenna Huckaby, a three-time Paralympian and considered a pioneer of Paralympic snowboarding. Delson had only praise for her best friend, stating “Brenna’s riding is on point . . . no matter what; it inspires my riding.” 

The Paralympics are about performing and doing your best in your sport, but the friendships athletes make along the way are just as valuable and are something they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. “I’m just so happy we get to share this moment,” Delson said, speaking about her and Huckaby’s performances. “Now we get to stand on the Paralympic podium together. It’s the best thing ever.”

The gold medal Delson won is no doubt going in her trophy case, but the friendships she made along the way are just as valuable. 

Brenna Huckaby

Getting praised by Brenna Huckaby is no small feat. Huckaby is truly one of the most impressive women athletes there is. Having most of her right leg amputated when she was 14 never slowed her down, and at the age of 15, Huckaby learned to snowboard and went on to represent Team USA and win gold in the 2018 Winter Paralympics. She followed that with two more gold medals in the 2022 Winter Paralympics, and then this year rounded her impressive medal count out with a bronze. 

This year’s games was the first time Huckaby didn’t win gold, but she isn’t leaving disappointed. Racing for the first time in front of her daughters, she said that this year, she was a more developed person, and that “[Life’s] about having those hard moments, learning from them, taking the time to see what that taught you.” 

And it didn’t hurt that she was able to find friends in her competitors. “I’m so freaking stoked,” she said after Kate Delson’s gold medal run. “There's no one else I'd rather [see] on that top spot if it’s not me . . . I love sharing a podium with Kate.”

Huckaby went on to mention how inspiring Delson’s run was, and how she is excited for the next generation of Paralympic snowboarders. “We’re waiting for the next generation . . .  and not only is [Delson] here, she’s a gold medalist Paralympian."

“There's no one else I'd rather see on that top spot if it’s not me . . . I love sharing a podium with Kate”

Brenna Huckaby

Competing Together

This year, women’s snowboarding wasn’t split into the LL-1 and LL-2 categories (where ‘LL’ stands for ‘lower limb’, and categorizes based on the severity of leg impairments. This forced Huckaby to compete in the LL-2 category, and limited the number of women athletes competing this year. It’s something that both Huckaby and Delson hope will change by the 2030 Winter Olympics.

“Hopefully this is the last podium we share,” Delson said. She was excited to share a podium with her friend, but acknowledged that “we want the categories split [in 2030].” 

Huckaby shared that sentiment. “[We’re both going to be] gold medalists next games,” she said. And with the increase in visibility in women’s snowboarding thanks to Huckaby and Delson’s friendship, that possibility is getting bigger and bigger. Hopefully by 2030, Huckaby and Delson can celebrate their gold medals in the LL-1 and LL-2 categories together, and cheer each other on as best friends always do.