The United States mixed doubles curling team of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin advanced to the semifinals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, defeating Estonia 5-3 and Sweden 8-7 on Sunday. This marks the first time an American pair has reached the medal round in the event since its Olympic debut in 2018. With a 6-2 record, they join Great Britain, Italy and Sweden in the playoffs.
In Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Duluth natives Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin secured their place in Olympic history during the round-robin stage of the mixed doubles curling competition. Starting Sunday with a 4-2 record after losses to Great Britain and South Korea, the duo rebounded decisively.
Against Estonia's Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill, the match was a low-scoring affair, the first in Olympic mixed doubles since 2018 without multiple points in any end. The teams traded single points through the first six ends, with the U.S. trailing 3-2 entering the seventh. Thiesse's stone in the sixth deflected off a guard, settling for one point instead of three. In the seventh, Lill's final rock overshot, allowing a U.S. steal. Kaldvee's eighth-end attempt grazed an American stone but failed to displace it, sealing a 5-3 victory and improving the U.S. to 5-2.
The afternoon matchup against Sweden's sibling pair, Isabella and Rasmus Wranaa, was more dynamic. Sweden led 3-0 after the first end, but the Americans tied it at 3-3 with three points in the second. After Sweden's 1-0 third end, Thiesse cleared a Swedish stone for another three, pushing the U.S. ahead 6-4 at the break. A steal in the fifth extended the lead to 7-4, but Sweden rallied with two in the sixth and a steal in the seventh to tie at 7-7.
In the decisive eighth end, Dropkin executed a triple takeout, removing all three Swedish stones while leaving two American ones in scoring position. Sweden's response failed, and they conceded before Thiesse's final throw, clinching an 8-7 win. This feat made Thiesse and Dropkin the first U.S. team to reach the semifinals.
Great Britain tops the standings at 8-1, followed by the U.S. at 6-2, Italy at 5-3 and Sweden at 5-4. The Americans face Italy on Monday at 4:05 a.m. ET to close round-robin play, with semifinals at 12:05 p.m. ET. Bronze and gold medal games follow Tuesday. The U.S. has prior Olympic curling success, including the men's team's 2018 gold.
