Swedish siblings Isabella and
Rasmus Wranå win gold in mixed doubles curling, beating US pair
[February 11, 2026]
By JULIA FRANKEL and STEVE DOUGLAS
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 after the Americans
left an opening 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.
“It’s a perfect shot for me to have, a takeout,” Isabella Wranå
said. “But of course you’re nervous. It’s the last shot and you know
if you make it, it’s an Olympic gold. But I felt like we kept the
calm. We talked about how we’re going to throw it and I knew that I
had a really strong sweeper.”
The Americans made history just by getting this far. 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.
“It’s been a long time coming, and this is a really big day for USA
Curling and for women’s curling in the U.S. I hope that I can bring
this medal home and inspire the next generation of women to be up on
that podium someday,” Thiesse said.
The Wranå siblings grew up as rivals and were coached by their
father, Mats Wranå.
Their current coach, Alison Kreviazuk, said she saw them work on
communication throughout their run.
“They’ve got two different personalities out there, so it’s finding
that mix of how they can complement each other,” Kreviazuk said.
“Figuring out how to talk with each other, I think that they’ve
really, really nailed it over the past couple years, and it’s
showcased.”
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.
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Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa and Isabella Wranaa cheer with United States'
Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse after winning the gold medal mixed
doubles curling match against USA, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in
Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper
Apawu)
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.
Italy wins bronze
Italy’s Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner won bronze, defeating
Britain 5-3.
It was a bittersweet result for the Italians, the defending Olympic
champions whose fans packed the stands throughout the round-robin in
hopes to see a repeat. And it was devastating for the Brits,
Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat, who were expected to make the final
after exiting the round-robin with the most wins of any pair.
They faltered against exacting throws from Mosaner and Constantini,
who hails from Cortina and has become a darling of this stadium. The
British duo walked off the ice dejected.
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