Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin have pulled off one of the most iconic moments in the history of United States mixed doubles curling at the Winter Olympics on Monday by upsetting Italy’s Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, the defending champions, 9-8 on their home soil in Cortina.
The American duo will go for gold on Tuesday at 12:05 p.m. ET against Sweden in hopes of securing the country’s first-ever gold medal in mixed doubles curling.
Having lost earlier Monday morning 7-6 to the very same Italian duo in the final match of round-robin play, the Americans overturned an 8-7 deficit in the eighth and final end thanks to the hammer — a pinpoint final shot by Thiesse that knocked the Italians’ final stone past the Americans’ second-closest stone, ensuring Team USA cinched two points and a berth to the final.
“I was shaking a little bit, but the whole time on, I knew Korey was going to put me in a position to win the game… just visualizing that,” Thiesse, a Minnesota native, told NBC following the match. “When the rock came to a stop, we knew that we had it.”
Curling is a sport that the Americans have struggled to compete in at the Olympics. The men’s four-man team won a bronze in 2006 and a gold in 2018, but Team USA has not made the podium since mixed doubles was introduced eight years ago.
An American woman has never medaled in the sport, meaning Thiesse will become the very first regardless of Tuesday’s result.
“It means the world,” Dropkin, originally from Massachusetts, said. “A dream come true to be in the game tomorrow and to go for gold… No matter what, I know everyone’s proud, and I’m proud of us. [Thiesse is the] first US female to win a medal, and we’ll try to make that one a gold.”
Trailing 4-2 after the third end, Thiesse’s draw shot curled into the center of the house to complete a three-point swing to catapult Team USA into the lead. After Constantini and Mosaner countered with one in the fifth to tie it, Thiesse’s raise shot knocked an existing US stone in the 12-foot ring into the button, which knocked out an Italian stone for an American two.
Italy roared back with three in the seventh to set up the dramatic final end, which saw Constantini settle her stone into the four-foot circle with a US stone narrowly sitting as the second closest to the button on the inner edge of the 12-foot circle.
Thiesse’s hammer knocked Constantini’s stone out of the house, which settled just inside that existing American stone at the outer edge of the eight-foot circle.
“It took everything we had,” Dropkin said. “Those are the reigning Olympic champs, the world champs. We were gritty… We just kept making shots, countering their makes, and we got a big opportunity in that sixth end. My All-Star here [Thiesse] capitalized. What a day.”
