Sweden’s last stone topples U.S. in curling.

Published Feb. 10, 2026Updated Feb. 11, 2026, 2:32 p.m. ETImageCredit...James Hill for The New York TimesYou 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.ImageCredit...James Hill for The New York TimesHer 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.ImageCredit...James Hill for The New York TimesImageCredit...James Hill for The New York TimesImageCredit...James Hill for The New York TimesSweden 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.ImageCredit...James Hill for The New York TimesImageCredit...James Hill for The New York TimesWhen 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.ImageCredit...James Hill for The New York TimesImageCredit...James Hill for The New York TimesVictor Mather, who has been a reporter and editor at The Times for 25 years, covers sports and breaking news.James Hill is a photographer working on a regular basis for The Times since 1993. He is currently based in Paris.SKIP