Paralympics 2018: 10 potential highlights at the Winter Games

Not only is Mike Schultz the world’s top-ranked snowboard-cross and banked slalom boarder, he competes using prosthetics that he designed and manufactures in a workshop behind his house in St Cloud, Minnesota. His hi-tech creations will also be used by some 30 other athletes at the Games including the reigning world and overall World Cup snowboard champion Brenna Huckaby, whose prosthetic leg is purple to match her trademark dyed hair.

Canada are the reigning World Champions, the US are reigning double Paralympic champions, and the two are expected to contest the top two medals in the para ice hockey – formerly known as ice sledge hockey but renamed and rebranded in 2016. Between them they have won the last four Paralympic golds, but have never met in the final. They did just that at the last year’s World Championships, Canada prevailing 4-1.

It will be hard to miss the alpine skier Marie Bochet: not only is she carrying the French flag at the opening ceremony she is competing in five events and is favourite to win all of them. In Sochi she only completed four, but won all of them and was named best female athlete of the Games. “I want to win everything, all the time,” she says.

Source: theguardian