Brenna Huckaby, denied Paralympic eligibility for 2 years, highlights five-medal day for U.S.

The U.S. won five more medals on the third day of the Paralympics, including its first three in snowboarding and one from a champion snowboarder who wasn’t eligible for the Games two months ago.

Mike Schultz (silver), Garrett Geros (silver) and Brenna Huckaby (bronze) all made a podium in snowboard cross.

Huckaby swept the snowboard cross and banked slalom golds in 2018 in a classification that in 2019 was taken off the Paralympic program due to a lack of riders. She applied to compete in either the corresponding men’s classification or to move into the remaining women’s classification, one with athletes with a lower level of impairment.

Para sport officials denied both requests. Huckaby appealed, and a German court ruled her eligible on Jan. 20.

“I would rather compete at a disadvantage than not compete at all,” Huckaby said on USA Network after coming back from a crash in the final to grab bronze. The rider with whom she collided, Dutchwoman Lisa Bunschoten, did not finish the four-woman final.

PARALYMPICS: Broadcast Schedule | Viewer Guide | FAQs

France’s 47-year-old Cecile Hernandez, Monday’s gold medalist, was also previously in the stricken classification and went through the German court system to gain eligibility.

Schultz, a 2018 gold medalist, took runner-up behind world champion Tyler Turner of Canada, becoming the first male snowboarder to win three Paralympic medals. Finland’s Matti Suur-Hamari won his third medal minutes later in a different classification.

“I couldn’t be happier — well, I could be just a little bit happier if I won gold, but overall, these guys were pushing me to my maximum,” said Schultz, a 40-year-old expected to compete in the banked slalom later in these Games, then take time off and