Sweden’s last stone topples US in curling

Swedish athletes Isabella Wranaa and her brother, Rasmus Wranaa, compete against the United States in the curling mixed doubles final event at the 2026 Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. Sweden took the gold, while the U.S. team took the silver. (James Hill/The New York Times)

By VICTOR MATHER and JAMES HILL

You throw a lot of stones in a curling match. But much of the time it really comes down to one.

Sweden trailed by 1 point going into the last round (or “end”) of a hard-fought, tight mixed doubles final against the United States. Isabella Wranaa needed to knock the Americans’ stone out to score at least 2 points and win the match.

Her aim was true. Her baby brother, Rasmus Wranaa, swept to get the rock where they wanted it. It caromed off the Americans’ stone, and Sweden had won the gold medal by 6-5.

Sweden rebounded from a slow start to the bonspiel, including a 9-0 loss to Norway. The American silver medal team was two unrelated homonyms, Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse, both from Minnesota, a curling hotbed.

When you throw the final stone (“the hammer”) in one of the eight ends, you really have to score a point, and you want to find a way to get at least 2. But in the very first end, a tangled setup meant the United States had to make a strong last shot to get even 1 point, and Sweden got 2 in the next end. The teams traded 1’s in the next four ends, and Sweden clung to its 1-point lead.

The United States had a big end 7, scoring 2 and nearly more. That left Sweden down by 1 point going into the last end and set up the winning shot by the Wranaas.