| Sydney Peterson | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Birth Date: | 17 February 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Lake Elmo, Minnesota |
| Sport: | Para Nordic skiing (Para cross-country skiing) |
| Disability: | Dystonia |
| Disability Class: | LW9 |
| Universityteam: | St. Lawrence University |
Sydney Jo Peterson (born February 17, 2002) is an American para cross-country skier.
Peterson began skiing at the age of 5. She skied for Stillwater Area High School in Minnesota.
Peterson won the silver medal in the women's 10km standing cross-country skiing event and the woman's standing cross country sprint event at the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships held in Lillehammer, Norway.[1] [2] She also won the bronze medal in the women's long-distance standing cross-country skiing event.[3] [4]
Peterson competed at the 2022 Winter Paralympics and created history in her first Paralympic appearance after claiming a silver medal in the women's 15 km classic standing event. In doing so she became the first standing American female to earn a medal. In addition to her silver medal achievement, Peterson also clinched bronze in the skate sprint and gold in the team mixed relay.
In the 2023 season, Peterson earned two bronze medals, in the Skate sprint and Skate 10 km, in the FIS 2023 Para Nordic World Championships in Östersund Sweden. At the championships, Peterson raced her debut race in biathlon earning 4th.[5]
Additionally, Peterson skied on the Division 1 NCAA ski team at St. Lawrence University, where graduated from in 2023 with a bachelors of science in neuroscience. Peterson plans to pursue a PhD in neuroscience.
The fall of 2023, Peterson underwent a series of major surgeries to have a deep brain stimulator placed, in the hopes of slowing the progression of her dystonia.[6] Shortly following DBS, Peterson returned to compete in the 2024 Biathlon World Championships[7] and 2024 World Cup Finals[8] where she earned two top 5 finishes.