Minnesotans Mike Schultz, Sydney Peterson win silver medals at Paralympics

Mike Schultz had been on the Paralympic podium before, four years ago in Pyeongchang. For Sydney Peterson, it was a new experience, the culmination of a swift and stunning ascent in her sport.

Though the circumstances were different, the two felt the same overwhelming pride Monday as they became the first Minnesotans to win medals at the Beijing Paralympics. Schultz, of St. Cloud, earned silver in men's snowboard cross. Peterson, of Lake Elmo, also took silver, in women's long-distance cross-country skiing.

Schultz's silver was his third Paralympic medal. The defending champion in men's snowboard cross LL1, for athletes with lower-limb amputation or significant impairment, he finished second to Tyler Turner of Canada, with China's Wu Zhongwei third.

Peterson completed the women's standing 15-kilometer classic — her first Paralympic cross-country race — in a factored time of 49 minutes, just behind Canada's Natalie Wilkie (48:04). Another Canadian, Brittany Hudak, finished 27 seconds behind Peterson to earn bronze.

"I didn't really expect to ever be here," Peterson said to reporters after her race. "It's all happened really fast. It's kind of surreal.

"I really didn't have many expectations [in Monday's race]. There are so many strong skiers in this field, and I didn't know where things would stack up. It was definitely a very hard race."

A sophomore on the Nordic ski team at St. Lawrence University, Peterson, 20, followed the same early path as Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins of Afton. Like Diggins, Peterson competed in the Minnesota Youth Ski League and for Stillwater Area High School.

At age 13, she developed dystonia and reflex sympathetic dystrophy, conditions that cause excessive, involuntary muscle contractions and pain. Peterson's condition has worsened over time, and she now has limited mobility in her left leg and arm. She skis with a single pole and uses a brace inside her left boot to keep her leg in proper position.

Though Peterson had competed in only one international event, she was named to the U.S. team for the world championships last January, coming home with two silver medals and one bronze. She wasn't immediately eligible for the Paralympics, because she was so new to the sport. After a review by the International Paralympic Committee, Peterson was invited to compete in Beijing.

Peterson led early in Monday's race before she was overtaken by Wilkie, who won three medals at the 2018 Paralympics.

"I'm pretty excited [to win silver]," Peterson said. "I felt pretty good and tried to ski smooth throughout the race."

In snowboard cross, the first snowboarding event of the Beijing Games, Schultz won his quarterfinal and semifinal heats. Turner was the top qualifier, and he and Schultz finished first and second in the final, just as they did at the world championships in January.

In the final, Schultz said, the race "got a little dicey" in the second turn. He kept things on track, moved into second place and maintained his position to earn the second Paralympic silver medal of his career.

"My nerves were high," Schultz told reporters after the race. "To cross the line with a silver feels amazing. My goal was gold, and I was capable, but silver feels pretty dang good, too."

Schultz, 40, was competing against several athletes using the specialized prosthetics he developed for use in action sports. Turner and Schultz were among those who won medals Monday using prosthetics designed and manufactured by Schultz's company, BioDapt, which is headquartered in St. Cloud. There are 26 athletes from 11 countries using BioDapt products at the Paralympics.

"In the end, I'm going to be happy no matter what, because this has been an amazing year," Schultz said. "And the athletes I get to work with through my company, BioDapt, is the big-picture thing. I couldn't be more pumped."