As Paralympics approach, U.S. skier Sydney Peterson balances training and research

March 4, 2026 — NPR Sports — FULL STORY LINK HERE

SALT LAKE CITY — With the 2026 Winter Paralympics set to open Friday in Milan and Cortina, athletes are busy preparing for their Games. One such athlete is Sydney Peterson, a member of the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team. She is also working towards her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Utah — looking at movement disorders, similar to her condition. Peterson's days are a balancing act between the lab and her skis.

Peterson, who began cross-country skiing at age five, has a neurological condition known as dystonia that causes involuntary muscle contractions in her left arm and leg. So typically, she skis with only one pole. With a custom left ankle brace and a ski pole in her right hand, she glides across the snow, evenly side to side.

As a multi-medal Paralympian (she won gold, silver and bronze at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics), she's at the top of her game.

But when she was 13, just beginning to experience symptoms, skiing became her physical therapy.

"It's much more fun to be able to do that after school with your friends than alone in a clinic," she said.

Peterson credits her friends and team with helping her cope as her symptoms got much worse in college. Over time, the muscle contractions forced her left hand and ankle into fixed positions.

"But, I was really fortunate that I still had all my teammates, still had my college coach. I was able to show up to practice each day. I still had that continuity."

Now at 23, and working towards the doctorate degree, Peterson's days revolve around two communities: on the slopes and in the lab. So, after her first workout of the day, she heads to the University of Utah to check on experiments she's running in a rare-disease lab.