In the Milan Cortina Paralympics, the United States mixed wheelchair curling team secured a 9-2 victory over Korea during the ninth session of round-robin play. The win highlighted American dominance after an early deficit, though the team was later eliminated from medal contention following a loss to Norway. The match featured contributions from a diverse roster including a Mongolian-born player and a military veteran.
CORTINA, Italy — The United States mixed team in wheelchair curling defeated Korea 9-2 in the ninth session of the round-robin portion at the Milan Cortina Paralympics. The Americans trailed by one point after Korea scored in the first end but then took control, with Korea adding only one more point before the U.S. pulled ahead decisively.
The U.S. roster included Matt Thums, Sean O’Neil, Dan Rose, and Oyuna Uranchimeg. Thums commented on the warm Italian hospitality, saying, “The Italians have certainly showed up to cheer at and to just generally host these Games, and they’re the nicest people you could ever meet.” O’Neil noted team spirit, adding, “Yes, each pair of us has our own secret handshake you saw out there. It’s a nice way to support everyone and keep us all pumped up.”
Uranchimeg, the team's woman as required for mixed teams, was born in Mongolia and receives support from the Mongolian Olympic and Paralympic committee. Rose, injured during military duty, traveled with family from Denver to attend the event.
Prior to this match, the U.S. had losses to China, Great Britain, Latvia, and Slovakia, but wins against Sweden and host Italy (10-1). Other results from the session included Norway's 6-5 win over Latvia—decided by a close measurement in the seventh end when the score was tied at 4-4—and victories for Sweden (5-4 over Slovakia) and China (9-4 over Great Britain).
However, the U.S. team's Paralympic run ended after a 7-4 loss to Norway in round-robin play, officially eliminating them from medal contention. Separately, in the mixed doubles discipline's Paralympic debut, Korea earned silver and China gold in the final, tied at 7-7 before China's victory.
