Lead
On Feb. 10, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sweden’s sibling pair Isabella and Rasmus Wranå captured Olympic gold in mixed doubles curling, edging the United States’ Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin 6-5. The deciding point came in the final end when Isabella delivered the winning stone and the Swedes removed the Americans’ rock. The victory made the Wranås the first siblings to represent Sweden at the Winter Games and capped a comeback from an early tournament slump.
Key Takeaways
- Final score: Sweden (Isabella & Rasmus Wranå) defeated USA (Cory Thiesse & Korey Dropkin) 6-5 on Feb. 10, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
- The Wranås are Sweden’s first sibling duo to compete at the Winter Olympics and won Sweden’s mixed-doubles gold in Cortina.
- Thiesse and Dropkin won bronze or silver? They took silver — the U.S. earned its first Olympic medal in mixed doubles curling, and Thiesse became the first American woman to medal in Olympic curling.
- The Swedish pair had a rocky start, losing three consecutive round-robin games before recovering to reach the final.
- Isabella and Rasmus Wranå were coached by their father, Mats Wranå, and had won the world championship in 2024.
- Thiesse and Dropkin were world champions in 2023 and balance international curling with full-time jobs in Duluth, Minnesota.
- Italy’s Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner took bronze, beating Britain 5-3 in the bronze-medal match.
Background
Mixed doubles curling, added to the Olympic program in recent cycles, pairs one woman and one man per team and has quickly become an arena for small-team tactics and dramatic finishes. Sweden sent Isabella and Rasmus Wranå as the country’s first-ever sibling Olympic curling team, a pairing that drew attention both domestically and abroad. Coached by their father, Mats Wranå, the siblings arrived with a pedigree: they captured the world mixed-doubles title in 2024, setting expectations high despite their unsteady Olympic start.
The American duo of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin also entered Cortina with recent world-level success, having won the world championship in 2023. Both juggle elite competition with careers in Duluth, Minnesota — Thiesse works as a lab technician and Dropkin as a real estate agent — and their partnership developed after a failed qualification attempt for the Beijing 2022 Games. National media and fans followed the tournament closely, and the atmosphere in Cortina reflected strong support for multiple teams, especially the U.S. contingent.
Main Event
The gold-medal game unfolded before a predominantly pro-American crowd in Cortina. The match remained tight through the middle ends as both pairs traded careful guards and takeouts. Sweden’s composure in the closing stages contrasted with the louder, more theatrical engagement of the American supporters; the Wranås kept a measured focus while Dropkin played up to the crowd at times.
The decisive moment arrived in the final end when an opening left by the Americans allowed Isabella to deliver a game-winning draw. She leaned close to the ice to watch as Rasmus swept in front of the stone, and their red rock knocked out the Americans’ yellow stone to secure a 6-5 victory. The finish was a comeback capstone after Sweden had dropped three straight games early in the round-robin.
For Thiesse and Dropkin, the result was historic despite the loss: it secured the first U.S. Olympic medal in mixed doubles curling and made Thiesse the first American woman to medal in Olympic curling. The American pair’s road to the podium — from a failed 2022 qualification attempt to world champions in 2023 and Olympic silver in 2026 — illustrates a rapid ascent on the world stage.
Analysis & Implications
The Wranås’ victory underscores how momentum and mental resilience matter as much as shot-making in mixed doubles. Losing three round-robin games would have eliminated many teams; their ability to regroup signals strong in-competition problem-solving and tactical adjustment. Coached by a family member, the duo’s dynamics on and off the ice likely contributed to their calm under pressure.
For Sweden, the gold has multiple meanings: it adds to the country’s curling legacy, validates the Wranås’ world title from 2024, and highlights Sweden’s development pipeline for small-team formats. Sibling pairings are rare at the highest level; this result may encourage national programs to be more open to unconventional team compositions that emphasize chemistry and shared upbringing.
The U.S. result points to the growing depth of American curling. Thiesse and Dropkin balancing full-time jobs with elite sport highlights how mixed doubles can be accessible to athletes outside full-time funding models. Their silver should strengthen domestic interest in curling and potentially increase investment in training programs and talent identification ahead of next cycles.
Internationally, the podium — Sweden, USA, Italy — reflects a wider spread of competitive nations beyond traditional powerhouses. That distribution could influence how federations allocate resources: more countries now see a realistic path to medals in mixed doubles, intensifying competition and raising the tactical and coaching stakes.
Comparison & Data
| Match | Winner | Runner-up | Score | Recent World Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold medal final | Isabella & Rasmus Wranå (SWE) | Cory Thiesse & Korey Dropkin (USA) | 6-5 | Wranå: 2024 |
| Bronze medal match | Stefania Constantini & Amos Mosaner (ITA) | Jennifer Dodds & Bruce Mouat (GBR) | 5-3 | Italy: defending Olympic champions (2022) |
| Previous world champions | Thiesse & Dropkin (USA) | — | — | 2023 |
The table summarizes the final outcomes and recent world titles relevant to Cortina’s mixed-doubles event. While Sweden’s pair entered as 2024 world champions, the USA pair’s 2023 world title signaled the contest would be a clash of recent global winners. Italy’s bronze completed a medal set that combined a local favorite with two pairs who have produced world-level results in the last three years.
Reactions & Quotes
The final produced visceral responses from supporters and commentators alike, with a mix of local pride and respectful acknowledgment of opponents.
“Show me your biceps!”
Spectator in Cortina d’Ampezzo
“Curlingfiasko”
Swedish media (early-tournament coverage)
The crowd chant highlights the electric atmosphere surrounding the American pair, while the media phrase captures how stunned Swedish outlets were when the Wranås dropped three early matches. After the win, officials and analysts noted the match as a showcase of tactical nuance and mental toughness rather than raw power alone.
Unconfirmed
- Exact final round-robin records for each medalist beyond the stated three-game losing streak for Sweden have not been fully detailed here.
- Long-term plans for the Wranå siblings to continue as an Olympic pairing beyond 2026 have not been publicly confirmed.
- Specific attendance figures and the precise composition of the pro-U.S. crowd in Cortina have not been independently verified in this report.
Bottom Line
The Wranås’ gold in Cortina is both a personal triumph and a sign of the evolving competitive map in mixed-doubles curling. Their comeback from an early slump to Olympic champion illustrates the value of in-game adjustment, calm execution and a supportive coaching environment. The result will be replayed in coaching clinics and strategy sessions as an example of closing-out tactics under pressure.
For the United States, the silver medal and the milestone of Thiesse becoming the first American woman to medal in Olympic curling mark important progress. Expect increased attention on mixed doubles in the U.S. and in other nations that see a clearer route to Olympic hardware in this shorter format. The podium in Cortina signals that mixed doubles will remain a hotly contested, unpredictable discipline through the next Olympic cycle.