CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — At one end of the ice was the brother, pumping his fists. At the other was the sister, jumping up and down with her broom in her hand and a look of disbelief on her bespectacled face.
Isabella and Rasmus Wranå, Sweden’s first-ever team of siblings at the Winter Olympics, won gold in mixed doubles curling on Tuesday night, beating U.S. pair Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin.
The Wranås persevered through a nailbiter of a championship game in front of a spirited, pro-U.S. crowd and pounced on an opening left by the Americans in the last end. Isabella threw the winning stone and hunched close to the ice, watching her brother sweep until their red stone knocked out the Americans’ yellow rock for a 6-5 victory.
For the Americans, just making this far was historic. They became the first U.S. team to medal in Olympic mixed doubles, and Thiesse is the first American woman to medal in Olympic curling.
The Wranå siblings grew up as rivals and were coached by their father, Mats Wranå.
Throughout the match, the Wranås enjoyed a somewhat silent camaraderie with their small contingent of fans. The two remained stoic while Dropkin played to the crowd, whipping up the loud American supporters.
The Wranås won the world title in 2024. Thiesse and Dropkin won at worlds a year earlier.
The Swedish duo started their Olympic bid on stumbly legs, losing three games in a row in the round robin. The skid prompted the Swedish media to label their Olympic bid a “Curlingfiasko.”
But they managed to turn it around and won most of their remaining matches.
It was a heartbreaker for the Americans, who enjoyed roaring support. An American curler screamed from the rafters, “Show me your biceps!” Dropkin obliged.
Thiesse and Dropkin are based in Duluth, Minnesota, and have full-time jobs. Thiesse is a lab technician and Dropkin a real estate agent. Dropkin is engaged and Thiesse is married.
They were classmates in college. Dropkin asked Thiesse to be his mixed doubles partner after a failed qualification run for the Beijing 2022 Games. She agreed and they were world champions a year later.
