The Swedish wheelchair curling team secured a bronze medal at the Paralympics in Cortina, Italy, after a 7–4 victory over South Korea. Skipper Viljo Petersson-Dahl led the team to the win despite a semifinal loss to China. This marks Sweden's seventh medal in the Games.
The Swedish wheelchair curling team, led by 43-year-old Viljo Petersson-Dahl, won the bronze match against South Korea 7–4 at the Paralympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This is the team's second Paralympics medal, following silver in Beijing 2022. Four out of five players in the current team are the same as in the silver-winning squad from China.
The team reached the semifinals but lost to China. In the bronze match, Sweden took control in the sixth end when South Korea's Yang Hui-Tae failed with his last stone, giving Sweden two points and a 5–2 lead with two ends remaining. 'He chose wrong and gave us a two, one could say,' Petersson-Dahl commented to SVT.
The finish was dramatic: South Korea scored two in the next end and closed the gap, but Sweden, holding the hammer, held firm to secure the medal. Petersson-Dahl was dominant with several super stones in pressured situations. Afterward, he expressed pride: 'I am so proud of the team. Incredibly happy that we managed to recharge. We played an incredibly good match against China and it was heartbreaking to lose at the finish line.' He added: 'We refused to go home without a medal. Coming home with fourth place would have been devastating.'
The bronze is Sweden's seventh medal in the Paralympics. Previously, alpine skier Ebba Årsjö has won three golds and one bronze, while Zebastian Modin has taken two bronzes in cross-country skiing.
