THIESSE/DROPKIN TAKE OLYMPIC SILVER
Photo by: World Curling
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, February 11, 2026] — Cory Thiesse (Duluth, MN) and Korey Dropkin (Southborough, MA) ended just shy of the top of the podium in Olympic Mixed Doubles Curling, but they still made history for the sport and the country.
For Team USA, this was the first medal in Mixed Doubles since the discipline was introduced in 2018. Thiesse also recorded a major breakthrough—she is the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in curling.
In a playoff round that featured all the world champions from the last four years—Thiesse/Dropkin were victorious at the 2023 Worlds—the team beat 2022 gold medalists Italy in the semi-final before facing Sweden (Isabella Wrana, Rasmus Wrana) in the final.
In a very well-played, back-and-forth game, Sweden got the early advantage, scoring two points in the second end to take a 2-1 lead. The teams traded singles until the seventh end, when the Americans used their Power Play—rocks are set up off the center line to start the end—to score two themselves. Only a double takeout by Isabella Wrana with her last stone prevented Thiesse/Dropkin from scoring three.
In the eighth end, trailing by one, Sweden held the last-rock advantage. After Thiesse’s raise attempt on her final shot pushed the American stone far enough that it wasn’t behind the guards in front of the rings, Wrana was able to make a play on it. She removed the American counter and the Swedes scored two to secure a 6-5 victory and take the gold medal.
The large American contingent inside the Curling Stadium in Cortina provided great energy to the team throughout the event and the game, and stayed to honor Thiesse and Dropkin when they stepped onto the podium to receive their medals.
Thiesse and Dropkin tempered their disappointment with the realization their silver medals were an historic accomplishment.
After the game, Dropkin said, “"Obviously, we would have loved to come home with a gold medal, but Sweden earned that—Rasmus and Isabella are great curlers and deserve this. But I’m still so darn proud of us.”
On the NBC broadcast, Thiesse added, “It was a really great game. We just needed to be a little bit sharper today, but we’re not going to let that game take away from the week that we had.”
Thiesse will now join the women’s team here at the Games, playing Third with Skip Tabitha Peterson (St. Paul, MN), Second Tara Peterson (St. Paul, MN), Lead Taylor Anderson (Broomall, PA), and Alternate Aileen Geving (Duluth, MN).
“USA Curling is so proud of Cory and Korey, who not only performed well on the ice but were also great ambassadors for the sport and the country,” noted USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. "With Men’s and Women’s play about to get started, we look forward to using the Mixed Doubles result to generate fresh momentum.”
A full schedule of curling coverage in the United States can be found here.
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA Curling is the National Governing body for the Olympic sport of curling and the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling in the United States. The mission of USA Curling is to grow, strengthen, and advocate for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling in the United States by prioritizing accessibility and programmatic development from grassroots to podium. USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, the Dale’s family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Ice, Sports & Solar (ISS), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of World Curling and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
