Four Gold Medals in the Bank for USA Paralympians Jake Adicoff, Reid Goble, and Peter Wolter
Last spring, I had the pleasure of interviewing both Jake Adicoff and Reid Goble as they prepared for the 2026 Paralympics in Italy. You can read more about this interview at the following blog post: Chasing Gold in Tandem. My daughter Hannah was in Italy cheering on Team Adicoff for all four races and told me it was one of the most impactful events she has ever spectated. Excitedly, I watched all four races from afar on Peacock’s Paralympic coverage.
Paralympian Jake Adicoff made his dream of chasing gold a reality by winning four gold medals in the visually impaired Paralympic ski races this past March. I recently interviewed both Peter and Reid (Jake’s sighted ski guides) about their experiences in each of the four Paralympic race events.
Over the past few years, both Reid Goble and Peter Wolter have been collaborating with the U.S. Para Nordic Ski Team as a guide for Jake Adicoff. Jake races for the Sun Valley Gold Team in Idaho and is a four-time visually impaired Paralympian. He has established himself as one of the top athletes in his category. The three athletes have been good friends for many years and have trained and raced together in World Cup Para events in preparation for the 2026 Cortina Games.
Jake is an incredibly fast skier and competes with top athletes in able-bodied competitions. This means guiding Jake is no joke, and both guides needed to be racing at their best to guide him. To ensure Jake maximizes success for the 2026 Games, Peter and Reid split guiding responsibilities evenly.
Jake entered the 2026 Games with an ambitious goal: to sweep all four races. It was an achievable target for him, yet at a high‑pressure event like the Paralympics, executing on that potential was still a challenge. Peter, the entire U.S. Paralympic Nordic Team, and Reid all believed fully in his ability to make it happen. Below is a breakdown of the racing schedule and the highlights throughout the Paralympics.
Four Visually Impaired Paralympic Race Events:
- Sprint 1.5 kilometers – March 10 (Guide Peter Wolter)
- Classic discipline 10 kilometers – March 11 (Guide Reid Goble)
- Relay 4×2.5 kilometers – March 14 (Guide Reid Goble)
- Skate discipline 20 kilometers – March 15 (Guide Peter Wolter)
Reid Goble and Peter Wolter Paralympic Highlights:
Team USA Welcome Experience
Reid: We landed in Venice with the team on March 1, 2026 where Team USA hosted the “Welcome Experience.” Sponsors like Nike and Ralph Lauren fitted us for our opening and closing ceremony outfits, as well as our podium gear. We did a whirlwind of interviews and posed for more photos than I’ve ever taken in my life. We enjoyed our fifteen minutes of fame.
Peter: Prior to the Paralympics, I watched the USA Olympic welcome experience on TV. It was incredibly exciting, especially knowing we would be experiencing it ourselves just weeks later. The amount of gear we received was remarkable; I’ve kept a good portion and enjoyed sharing the rest with others.
Race 1 – Sprint race
Reid: The first race of the Paralympics was the sprint, where Jake and Peter competed together. It was easily the most nerve‑wracking event of the week, given the depth of talent among the visually impaired sprinters. Sprint day follows a unique schedule: it begins with a qualifying round, narrows into a semifinal, and finishes with the final. Jake placed third in the qualifier.
From there, Jake moved into the semifinal, where four skiers and four guides race head‑to‑head around a one‑kilometer course. With eight people packed onto such a short loop, things can get chaotic. Jake made it through, advancing out of the semifinal and into the final—the race that decides the medals.
I watched from the course, cheering for Jake and Peter, and saw Jake ski up the hill away from the field. They came into the finishing stretch with a huge lead, and it was one of the most electric moments I’ve ever witnessed.
Peter: Our first race, the classic sprint, started roughly when we finished 3rd in the qualifier due to a few mistakes. Although we were stressed heading into the next rounds, we identified three key areas for improvement. We executed a solid semifinal and a near-perfect final to secure our first gold medal of the week.
Race 2 – Classic 10-kilometer
Reid: The next day, it was my turn to guide. We felt a little less pressure after the previous day’s success, but we still needed to execute and bring home another win. Jake and I have raced a 10‑kilometer classic more times than I can count, and we were confident in our plan.
However, the conditions were tough, being nearly 50°F and full sun, turning the snow into ankle‑deep slush. We worked our way through the heavy tracks and gradually opened up a lead on the field. By the time we came in at the finish, Jake had enough space to take a bow across the line.
Peter: Support from Fans: One of the most meaningful aspects of the week was the fans’ incredible support. We had about 20-25 friends and family members cheering us on daily. While our results were rewarding, the love and support we felt from them were even more significant.
Race 3 – Team Relay
Reid: The relay is another unique race format that can be a bit tricky to explain. Essentially, each country builds a team of Paralympic athletes, and the lineup can be any combination of women, men, lower‑limb, upper‑limb, or visually impaired skiers. Since Jake is one of the fastest athletes on snow, we were assigned the final leg (the anchor) of our four‑person relay.
Our first three teammates each put down strong races and tagged us off in fifth place. Jake and I had roughly a minute to make up on a 2.5‑kilometer course, and we knew it was going to be tight. We went out hard, closed the gap, and caught the leader just before the final stretch. We came into the finish with the whole team lining the course, cheering us in. This was my personal highlight of the Paralympics. Sharing a gold medal with four other people is so rare in an individual sport like cross‑country skiing, and it felt incredibly special.
Race 4 – Skate 20 kilometers
Reid: After the success of the previous three races, Jake, Peter, and I all had the same thought – just don’t choke. It was another warm day with sloppy snow and steady rain, and both Jake and Peter were carrying the fatigue of a long week of racing. They still put together incredibly strong performances.
Despite their efforts, the final race turned out to be the tightest of all. A Ukrainian skier had an exceptional day, finishing only 7 seconds behind Jake. It was a tiring day, but exactly what racing at the highest level often is, where nothing comes easy.
It still feels surreal to write about Jake accomplishing his goal of winning four gold medals. Being part of that journey was both incredible and deeply rewarding. Most of all, it was special to feel the support around us and to share the experience with the team, with Peter, and with the legend himself, Jake Adicoff. Four races, four golds.
Upon returning to the United States, all three Paralympian gold medalists experienced a new level of fame and recognition. On their return flight from Italy, they were invited to meet the flight’s captain and crew!
Other related articles to the Paralympics and the preparation that went into winning four gold medals are linked below:
Bridger Ski Foundation – How Para sports and guiding work blog
Bridger Ski Foundation – Pre Paralympic blog