Sports

Duluth curlers Thiesse and Dropkin earn spot in 2026 Winter Olympics mixed doubles field

The Duluth entertainment convention center set up for curling
The 2025 USA Curling Men's and Women's Championships held Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. Americans Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin have clinched a berth in the 2026 Olympic mixed doubles curling competition.
Erica Dischino for MPR News

Americans Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, both from Duluth, clinched a berth in the 2026 Olympic mixed doubles curling competition when they beat Canada 8-4 at the world championships in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on Saturday to earn a fifth-place finish that was enough for a spot in Milan-Cortina.

“While we’re disappointed to have not finished on the podium, we were beyond thrilled to make the playoffs and secure our spot at the Olympics!” Thiesse said. “It’s a dream come true for both of us.”

2022 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling
Korey Dropkin of the United States delivers a stone during Game 3 of the US Olympic Team Trials at Baxter Arena on Nov. 21, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Stacy Revere | Getty Images file

It will be the first Olympics for Dropkin, who was runner-up to five-time Olympian and 2018 gold medalist John Shuster at the U.S. men’s trials for each of the last two Winter Games. Thiesse was an alternate for Nina Roth’s women’s team in Pyeongchang in 2018.

“We work so hard for this, and it’s rewarding to see hard work pay off,” Thiesse said. “Honored and excited to be representing the USA in Cortina!”

Thiesse and Dropkin won the U.S. mixed doubles trials this winter to earn the right to represent the country at the world championships in Canada. But the Americans needed to finish at least fifth in Fredericton to qualify for the Olympics.

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Cory Thiesse of Duluth, throwing third for the Peterson Team, releases her stone during the 2025 USA Curling Men's and Women's Championships held Jan. 31, 2025 in Duluth.
Erica Dischino for MPR News file

After beating Canada on Saturday, Thiesse and Dropkin had to wait out Scotland’s 9-6 win over Australia in another placement match to clinch a spot in Italy.

“It was such a strong field here and we’re proud of the way we played against some of the best teams in the world,” Thiesse said.

The U.S. Olympic trials for the men’s and women’s curling teams are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in November.

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