Three-time Paralympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion and one of the most decorated Para snowboard athletes of all time, Brenna Huckaby has won the 2024 “Best Athlete with a Disability” ESPY at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, California. This is her second ESPY win and third nomination. 

The U.S. Para Snowboard Team athlete is coming off of one of the best seasons of her career, and one that she says she is “most proud of.” Huckaby’s impressive 2023-24 season included seven World Cup wins and 10 podiums across snowboard cross and banked slalom disciplines, which led to her taking home all three FIS Crystal Globes, marking her the best woman Para snowboarder of the season. 

Brenna was first nominated to the U.S. Para Snowboard Team in 2015, an opportunity that she took and ran with. By 2017, she had already been crowned World Champion three times, and was on the way to her first Winter Paralympic Games in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She brought home two gold medals in snowboard cross and banked slalom from her first games before taking a break from the sport to give birth to her second daughter in 2020. Less than a year later, she was back on the World Cup circuit and earned two more World Championships medals (one gold, one silver) in 2021. Since then, she has earned another gold and a bronze medal at the 2022 Winter Paralympics all while continuing to fight for opportunities for Para athletes. Vying for the win in every event she start, Huckaby’s accolades are a testament to her strength and consistency as an athlete.

“We are thrilled to see Brenna win her second ESPY,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Brenna is a champion of Para sport and a role model for so many on and off the snow. We are lucky to have athletes like her in our organization and I’m excited to see what is to come for her heading into a World Championship season.” 

Brenna was nominated alongside Para cycling/Para nordic skier Oksana Masters and Para track and field athletes Ezra Frech and Haydin Blackwell. 

Congratulations, Brenna!

The 2024 ESPY nominations are in and Brenna Huckaby of the U.S. Para Snowboard Team is headed to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to celebrate her successes among some of the world's best athletes after her nomination in the ‘Best Athlete with a Disability’ category. The ESPY Awards, known as the "Oscars of Sports," celebrate the best of the best in athletics and will be hosted in downtown LA on July 11, 2024. 

Among the nominees are some of the most celebrated athletes in their respective sports, including Olympic champion Simone Biles, WNBA star Caitlin Clark, NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and more. Last year, we saw Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin claim the title of “Best Athlete in Women’s Sports,” becoming only the second skier to win an ESPY. Zach Miller of the U.S. Para Snowboard Team also made his mark, walking away with his first ESPY for 'Best Athlete with a Disability.' 

Huckaby is a standout nominee, a three-time Paralympic gold medalist and a five-time World Champion. Introduced to the sport of para snowboarding after losing her right leg to cancer at age 14, Huckaby has reached the top of the sport and has become a leading voice in disability advocacy. 

Looking back at the start of her career, Huckaby became competitive quickly, landing her first World title only two years later. In her Paralympic debut at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, she came home with the hardware, winning two gold medals, including the first-ever gold in the banked slalom discipline. 

Outside of sport, Huckaby orchestrated a multi-faceted inclusivity campaign in the leadup to the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, which resulted in her earning the right to compete in medal events initially limited to less impaired athletes—she ended up winning a gold and bronze medal. She is a mother of two young daughters and is outspoken about overcoming cancer, her mental health journey, and body positivity. 

Your vote is crucial in determining the winners! Remember to mark your calendars for the live event featured on ABC on July 11, 2024, at  8 p.m. ET/PT. 

VOTE FOR BRENNA HERE.