Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin won silver medals for the United States in the mixed doubles curling final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, after a 6-5 defeat to Sweden's Isabella and Rasmus Wranå. The duo marked the first U.S. medal in the event and Thiesse became the first American woman to medal in curling. Watch parties across the U.S., including in Duluth and Massachusetts, celebrated the achievement.
The final took place on February 10, 2026, with Thiesse and Dropkin, both based in Duluth, Minnesota, facing the Swedish siblings in a tense match that ended 6-5 on Sweden's final stone. This victory for Isabella and Rasmus Wranå secured gold, while the Americans claimed silver, a historic milestone as the first U.S. team to reach the mixed doubles medal round at the Olympics.
In Duluth, hundreds gathered at the Duluth Curling Club for a watch party, chanting 'USA, USA, USA' and waving flags. Fellow curler Katherine Gerzina said, 'To be on this stage that they're at. It's just, it's great. And, you know, the club, no matter what, we're proud of them, I mean, silver is amazing.' Club general manager Kerry Hadiaris noted the medal builds on the club's tradition, following John Shuster's 2018 men's gold. Young curlers like 13-year-old Hudson Caldwell, coached by Dropkin, praised the pair: 'They're very nice and caring—both of them.'
Dropkin, raised in Southborough, Massachusetts, and a 2013 Algonquin Regional High School graduate, began curling at age 5 at Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland. About 50 members watched there, with president Rich Collier calling it 'an amazing journey.' At Algonquin, students paused classes for viewing, with teacher Melissa Arvanigian saying, 'We're just so proud of Korey and proud of who he is.' A watch party in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, highlighted curling's growing popularity, as attendee Morgan Weber encouraged newcomers: 'Curling is for everybody.'
Post-medal, Dropkin told NBC, 'I've got the best team that I could ever ask for... Thank you to everyone back home watching... Hopefully, we were able to touch some young kids out there to start dreaming big and believing in themselves.' Thiesse will continue with the U.S. women's team later in the week. The achievement has inspired increased interest in curling clubs nationwide.
