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The 19-year-old Para Alpine skier Audrey Crowley made her Paralympics debut at the 2026 Games — and hauled in three medals for an impressive showing.
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – Many Para athletes don’t discover the Paralympics until later in life. That is not the case for Audrey Crowley. Born without her lower right arm, she watched Paralympic skiing highlights with her dad as a child to see how they did it differently from able-bodied skiers.
And now Crowley, 19 years old, has made her debut at the Milano Cortina Winter Games, where she collected three top 10 finishes, including the Alpine combined (fifth), downhill (sixth) and super-G (eighth). Skiing in Cortina is a moment that she has looked forward to her entire life. “This is a really big opportunity to show everyone what I'm capable of, what I've been working towards,” Crowley said.
Crowley grew up in Colorado skiing with her family. It was a family affair as her older sister Ava skied competitively alongside Crowley until she graduated high school to attend the University of Colorado Boulder. Crowley’s high school, Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, helped her achieve her dreams because the schedule catered to elite skiers training for international competition.
The decision paid off as in her international debut, she won bronze in the giant slalom at the 2025 FIS Para Alpine World Ski Championships. Alpine skiing is not for the faint of heart and is one of the most dangerous sports in which to compete. But for Crowley the danger is the draw.