Team USA is headed to the gold medal match in mixed doubles curling at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics after a thrilling 9–7 semifinal victory over Italy on Monday. Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin delivered a poised and resilient performance to defeat the defending Olympic champions in a match defined by momentum swings and clutch shot-making.
The Americans secured the win in dramatic fashion in the eighth end. Trailing by one with the hammer, Thiesse faced a pivotal decision — play it safe with a draw to force an extra end or attempt a difficult takeout for the win. Choosing aggression, Thiesse executed a precise takeout on the Italian stone sitting on the four-foot, rolling just far enough to tap another Italian stone and sit inches closer to the button for two points and the victory.
As the final measurement confirmed the winning shot, Dropkin threw his hands into the air before embracing Thiesse in celebration — marking the biggest U.S. mixed doubles curling moment in nearly a decade.
The semifinal was tightly contested from the start. After Italy’s Stefania Constantini narrowly missed a double takeout attempt in the second end, Thiesse responded with a draw to the button to tie the match at 2–2. Italy briefly seized momentum with a steal in the third, but the Americans answered decisively in the fourth end. With two U.S. stones already positioned on the button, Italy’s Amos Mosaner missed a bump attempt, setting up Thiesse for a draw that produced three points and a 5–4 halftime lead.
Through four ends, the Americans were nearly flawless, with both Thiesse and Dropkin shooting 94 percent, compared to Italy’s 75 percent.
Italy tied the match in the fifth, but the U.S. again chose a high-risk, high-reward approach in the sixth. With the hammer, Thiesse executed another takeout to score two and give Team USA a 7–5 advantage heading into the final ends.
Italy capitalized on a rare American mistake in the seventh when Dropkin accidentally burned a stone, forcing its removal and leaving the house open. Constantini finished the end with a draw for three points, giving Italy an 8–7 lead entering the final frame.
But the Americans responded under pressure. Thiesse’s final shot sealed the comeback victory and guaranteed the United States its best-ever finish in Olympic mixed doubles curling.
By reaching the gold medal match, Thiesse will also become the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in curling.
Both teams delivered strong performances statistically. Mosaner and Dropkin each recorded 10 takeouts, while the United States shot a combined 84 percent overall, including an impressive 93 percent on draw attempts.
With the victory, Thiesse and Dropkin advance to face Sweden in the gold medal game, where they will attempt to capture the United States’ first Olympic mixed doubles curling gold medal.
