South Korea’s mixed doubles curling team of Kim Seon Yeong (Gangneung City Hall) and Jeong Yeong Seok (Gangwon Provincial Government) earned its first win of the round-robin, beating the United States in its sixth game.
Kim and Jeong defeated Cory Thies and Cory Dropkin 6-5 in an extra end at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in the mixed doubles round-robin at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Thies and Dropkin are the 2023 mixed doubles world champions in Gangneung and entered the game 4-1, staying near the top of the standings.
The victory snapped South Korea’s five-game losing streak against Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, Britain and the Czech Republic, improving the team to 1-5.
South Korea led early, scoring one with last stone in the first end and stealing one in the second for a 2-0 advantage. It protected the lead through the middle ends and added one in the sixth to go up 4-2.
In the seventh, the U.S. called a power play to try to score multiple points, but South Korea defended and stole one to extend the lead to 5-2.
The U.S. tied it in the eighth with last stone, scoring three to force an extra end.
In the ninth, South Korea had last stone and won when Jeong cleared an opponent’s stone to open the house, then placed the final stone closest to the button to secure the one-point victory.
“It's disappointing that the first win came so late, but it was more important to show our game,” Kim said. “More than the win itself, I liked the way we played and the style we’re pursuing.”
Jeong said he would “do my best with the determination to beat teams in the playoff race” in the remaining schedule.
Kim and Jeong are scheduled to play Estonia at 6:05 p.m. Saturday (Korea time) as they try for a second straight win.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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