Former Navy SEAL wins 6 medals at Paralympics

Retired US Navy SEAL Dan Cnossen finished the Paralympics in Pyeongchang with six medals, taking home a medal in every individual competition he entered in Nordic skiing.

Cnossen’s final medal came in the men’s sitting middle-distance cross-country race Saturday in which he won silver.

Cnossen made his second Paralympic team after competing in Sochi. He was serving as the platoon commander for SEAL Team One in Afghanistan in September 2009 when he stepped on an IED. As a result of his injuries, Cnossen lost both legs just above the knee.

He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star with Valor from the Secretary of the Navy for his service in combat. Among the other outstanding performances at the Games: Nordic skier Oksana Masters took home two gold medals and five medals overall just a few weeks after falling on the ice and injuring her elbow. A four-time Paralympian who also has competed in rowing and cycling at the Summer Paralympics, Masters was selected as the US flag bearer at the closing ceremony.

In men’s sled hockey, the United States beat Canada for gold with a game-winner in overtime from Declan Farmer. He also scored a late goal with less than a minute in regulation to give the Americans a 1-1 tie and a shot to win it in OT. Farmer, a Princeton student from Florida, was the tournament’s leading scorer with 11 goals and 17 total points. He was named the tournament’s MVP, while teammate Brody Roybal had 10 goals and six assists. It was a record third consecutive gold for the United States in sled hockey.

In snowboarding, Brenna Huckaby swept the two gold medals in her classification, adding the banked slalom gold. A former gymnast from Louisiana, Huckaby made her Paralympic debut in Pyeongchang with her fiancé and baby girl among those cheering her on.

Also, after breaking his back during a training run in Sochi four years ago, Alpine skier Andrew Kurka made a triumphant return to the Games, winning gold in the downhill and silver in Super -G.