Paralympian Brenna Huckaby hangs on for dear life as she misses bronze in throws!

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The smile never wavered on the podium for Brenna Huckaby, even as uncertainty about her Paralympic future continues. Huckaby claimed a bronze medal in the women’s banked slalom at Cortina Para Snowboard Park, tying Cécile Hernandez as USA’s most decorated snowboarder with her fifth career medal. But a fight for the return of her classification remains the biggest concern.

Most Paralympians compete in what are known as classifications, which group athletes together with similar impairments in an attempt to create a somewhat level playing field. At a June 2019 International Paralympics Committee Governing Board meeting , it was decided that the SB-LL1 classification — featuring athletes with above-knee amputations — would be a non-viable women’s snowboard event in the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics. That is Huckaby’s classification.

So, she applied to participate in either the men’s SB-LL1 classification or the women’s SB-LL2 — a classification for athletes with a smaller degree of impairment compared with those in SB-LL1. She ended up competing in the latter — and still won a gold medal in that event in Beijing. Huckaby’s classification was not reinstated ahead of 2026, and she competed in the below-knee amputation class again, meaning she was at a significant disadvantage when it comes to balance, power and movement.

“I have to go above and beyond, just to stand a chance,” Huckaby said. “I'll never not work hard, but I think it's really hard when you do put in so much time, so much effort, so much energy and your peak is going to be lower than people with less impairments. And it's a mental challenge.