FARBELOW CAPTURES GOLD AT WORLD SENIOR MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Photo by: World Curling
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, May 4, 2026] — Team Farbelow (Mike Farbelow, Rich Ruohonen, Bill Stopera, Darren Lehto) now boasts a full set of medals from the ACE & Company World Senior Men’s Curling Championship—silver in 2024, bronze in 2025, and now gold in 2026.
It’s been an extraordinary run for this team, starting with their first national title run at the USA Curling Senior Men’s Nationals in 2024. In that season, they lost the world final when Canada’s Paul Flemming made a long, last-rock runback. In 2025, they lost the semi-final before capturing bronze.
In 2026, the team put those tough losses behind them and steamrolled through the competition, going undefeated in pool play before winning three playoff games to capture the gold against defending champions Team Brewster from Scotland.
Not only did the team win the coveted championship, the win capped a remarkable season for Ruohonen. In addition to this World Seniors title, he was also an Olympian, serving as the Alternate on Team Casper at the 2026 Olympic Games.
In women’s play, Team Smith (Margie Smith, Norma O’Leary, Shelly Kinney, Shelly Kosal) also turned in an impressive performance, advancing through the qualifying rounds to the playoffs, eventually losing the bronze medal game to Canada.
For more results from the ACE & Company World Senior Curling Championships, visit the World Curling website.
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.
