At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, defending champions Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner of Italy rallied to defeat Norway 6-5 on Saturday, despite an earlier loss to Sweden. The victory keeps them tied for second place at 4-2 in the mixed doubles round-robin phase. Fans in their hometown provided raucous support amid the high-stakes competition.
The curling arena in Cortina d'Ampezzo buzzed with energy on February 7, 2026, as Italy's Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner navigated a challenging day in the mixed doubles round-robin at the Winter Olympics. The 26-year-old Constantini, a local from this Tyrolean town nestled in the Dolomites, and her partner Mosaner from northern Italy started with a 9-4 defeat to Sweden, following a loss to Canada the previous day. These setbacks had initially dropped them from the top four, but they bounced back in a tense rematch of the 2022 Beijing gold-medal final, coming from behind to edge Norway 6-5.
Constantini, who grew up training on local courts and once worked as a saleswoman at a North Face store until shortly before Beijing, has become a national sensation. The pair's performance is spreading interest in curling, a sport with limited popularity in Italy outside Cortina, long considered the cradle of the discipline. Even the town's mayor, Gianluca Lorenzi, a former national team member and son of the sport's founding figure in Italy, underscores the local roots.
Italian fans dominated the stadium, chanting "Italia, Italia, Italia!" and cheering wildly, outshining supporters from the U.S. and Great Britain. "Today we struggled a little bit to adapt from the games yesterday to today," Constantini said after her first match. Mosaner added, "We have to restart. Try to avoid the mistakes and make our best performance tonight and we'll see about tomorrow." Constantini later noted the crowd's boost: "It's special. Because they are really supporting us. It's really good to play with this crowd."
Fan Carla Pelosin, with the Italian flag painted on her face, observed, "They seemed nervous today. But we're confident in them for the coming days." She urged the athletes: "Just give their best. The Italian people are confident in them and believe in them."
With Italy at 4-2, tied with the United States for second, Great Britain leads undefeated at 7-0 and has secured a playoff spot. Sweden sits at 4-3, while Canada, Norway, and others trail. Italy faces Czechia and Great Britain on Sunday, with four round-robin draws remaining in the volatile competition.