Gold Again: Sweeny's relay call sparks a 12-year return to the top

The call came the day before, but the answer did not feel real until that night. After four years of training, Josh Sweeney did not know he would be on Team USA’s Para Cross Country relay until the night before, with one sleepless night to settle nerves in a country far from home.

That is the newest chapter for the Idaho Paralympian, who is back home now as a two-time Paralympic gold medalist. The medals are 12 years apart and came in two completely different winter sports, gold on ice in 2014, then gold on snow in 2026.

This time, Sweeney’s focus was built around Para Biathlon and Para-Nordic cross-country ski racing, the two disciplines that shape life for a Paralympic Nordic sit skier. He said he raced a biathlon sprint pursuit the morning before the relay decision and finished sixth, a result that left him encouraged even without the podium.

Then came the conversation that changed everything. “We don’t actually know we’re on the relay team until the night before,” Sweeney said. He said coaches asked him the afternoon before if he would consider it, and later that night he learned he was the only new addition joining three teammates who had already won relay gold in 2022.

Sweeney did not describe it as a casual plug and play. He described it as a moment you respect. “It was a huge honor for me to be selected to that team,” he said.

If you are looking for the moment the nerves showed up, he said it did not come in a big locker room speech. “Nobody talked about anything,” Sweeney said, explaining that everyone carried the same pressure and excitement without needing to say it out loud.

The real reveal came after the decision, when the venue was quiet and the mind had room to run. “After I found out I was selected to the relay team that night, I didn’t sleep a whole lot,” Sweeney said. He described tossing and turning, then waking up with his brain already mapping the start and how he wanted the race to unfold.

His checklist was not just about speed. Sweeney said he played out tactics like positioning, drafting, and timing the move to come through at the end, and he was also thinking about protecting his poles in a tight pack. “It was a mix of self-preservation tactics and really just what can I do to come out in front for the team without putting us in a hole,” he said.

That urgency hits differently when you are leading off the relay. Sweeney skied first, the leg that sets the tone and absorbs the early chaos, and he said the field included sprint specialists built for that exact moment.

He said his goal was simple. “My goal was to try to beat all of them, which I did,” Sweeney said, describing the head-to-head nature of the leg and the satisfaction of winning it.

When he crossed the line, he turned and saw Oksana Masters take off, and he said he felt proud that his work set her up the way she needed. Then came the strange part of a relay, the waiting, the split watching, the feeling of being done but not done.

Sweeney said Team USA was still 45 seconds down before the final leg began, and he admitted that number felt enormous over a short loop. He said it was hard to tell where everyone was on the course, which made the waiting feel even longer.

The gold did not feel real until the final moments, when he saw the pass near the finish. “It turned into a party,” Sweeney said, describing a burst of joy that hit athletes and staff all at once. Team USA overcame a 45 second deficit in the final leg of the relay, an improbable comeback that will be talked about forever.

He made sure that celebration did not belong only to the skiers. Sweeney credited the wax techs, nutritionists, and support staff who helped put them in position long before anyone saw a finish line. “They have worked really hard to make sure that we were in the best position possible before even starting the race,” he said.

The medal itself also means something different when you have lived both versions of it. Sweeney’s first Paralympic gold in 2014 came on the ice in sled hockey, and he said returning in 2026 to win again on snow, through Para-Nordic Cross-Country ski racing, brought a different kind of pride.

“Individual medals are great, but there’s something special about a team medal,” Sweeney said. He also admitted he was as nervous as he has ever been for a race, because one mistake can affect everyone.

That context matters because his week in Italy was not built only around relay dreams. Sweeney said he is still hungry for an individual Para Biathlon podium, pointing to finishes that were close enough to sting and good enough to prove he belongs in the mix.

“At that level, you have to almost be perfect if you want to have any chance of being on the podium,” he said. He said he took a few days off after the Games and then went right back to training, building toward what comes next.

His plan is not vague. “I’m still hungry for that individual podium in biathlon,” Sweeney said. “I do plan to keep racing, and I do want to be back at the Paralympic Games in 2030.”

His why has evolved, too, and he said that is one of the biggest differences from 2014. “Being a dad is definitely special when it comes to this,” Sweeney said, explaining how it changes the way he carries pressure and motivation. An added layer of that motivation is self-pride, wanting to be the best version of himself every day. That mindset can do wonders for anyone.

Sweeney also said his day to day has become more intertwined than people realize, noting his girlfriend is also his coach. It is another layer of accountability, and another reminder that elite Para Nordic cross-country ski racing and Para Biathlon are built on details most people never see.

Josh Sweeney came home with another gold, 12 years after the first, moving from ice to snow and from one version of pressure to another. The deeper story is the one he lived, a yes that arrived the night before, a sleepless night, and then a picture-perfect performance when the lights were the brightest.