The ice at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium continues to serve up drama, precision, and heartbreak as the mixed doubles curling event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics reaches its fever pitch. With ten nations vying for Olympic glory, the stakes have never been higher, and every stone thrown is shaping the destiny of teams hungry for a spot in the medal rounds. For Canada’s Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, the past two days have been a roller coaster of triumphs and tough lessons, as they navigate the razor-thin margins that define Olympic curling.
Mixed doubles curling, a fan favorite for its fast pace and strategic complexity, has been a marquee event in Milano Cortina. Each match consists of eight ends, with teams throwing five stones per end and one stone pre-placed before play begins. The format rewards creativity and adaptability, and the 2026 tournament has delivered both in spades. The competition structure is unforgiving: after a round robin where each of the ten teams faces every other, only the top four will earn a coveted semifinal berth. The rest will watch the medal games from the sidelines.
Canada’s campaign began with promise, as Peterman and Gallant—married partners from Chestermere, Alberta—showed poise and tactical acumen in the early rounds. But on Friday, February 6, their unbeaten run came to a halt against a sharp United States squad. The American duo, Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, entered the contest undefeated, and it was clear from the outset that they meant business. Canada started without the hammer for the third time in four games but managed a steal in the opening end after Thiesse’s last rock takeout attempt went awry. Yet, the U.S. quickly responded, capitalizing on a measurement to count two in the second end and then stealing another in the third. For the first time in the tournament, Peterman and Gallant found themselves trailing, 3-1.
Gallant reflected on the match, admitting, “Probably wasn’t our best today. We didn’t really get a jump on the ice. Just on the heavy side on a few shots. The ice was a little faster and straighter and we were bouncing off a few shots and they were taking advantage of it. A learning experience. We still had a tight game with them and they’re a really talented team. We’re 3-1 four games in, so we just need to refocus and go on to the next game.”
Peterman echoed her partner’s assessment, saying, “We didn’t adjust to the ice right away, but we’re continuing to talk and continuing to fight our way through it until the last shot.” That fighting spirit paid off in the fourth end, where Peterman’s final stone—a flat double—secured two points and tied the game at 4-4 heading into the break. The Americans, however, reclaimed the lead in the fifth, and the sixth end saw Canada invoke their power play, a unique rule in mixed doubles that allows the team with the hammer to reposition their stones for a potential scoring advantage. Despite the strategic move, Canada could only muster a single point, as Dropkin’s pivotal hit and roll neutralized their setup.
The seventh end proved decisive. The U.S. used their power play to perfection, with Gallant and Peterman missing on three freeze attempts. Dropkin’s double takeout set the stage for a three-point haul, breaking the deadlock and putting the Americans up 7-4. Canada managed a single in the eighth, but the U.S. conceded it gladly, sealing a 7-5 victory and preserving their undefeated record. The loss dropped Canada to 3-1, while Great Britain surged ahead in the standings, setting up a crucial clash the following morning.
Saturday’s matchup against Great Britain’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat brought another stern test for the Canadian pair. Dodds and Mouat wasted no time, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and extending it to 5-1 by the third end. Canada, once again, turned to the power play in the fourth, but could only generate a single point. The British duo’s relentless shot-making kept Canada at bay, and although Peterman and Gallant stole two in the seventh after Dodds was heavy with a draw, a missed opportunity in the eighth sealed their fate in a 7-5 defeat.
The loss left Canada with a 3-2 record, while Great Britain improved to a commanding 6-0 in round robin play. The Canadians were scheduled to face Estonia’s Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill later that evening, knowing that every match would now be critical in the race for the semifinals. Only the top four teams in the 10-team field will advance to the medal games, meaning the margin for error has all but vanished.
Mixed doubles curling at the Olympics is as much about adapting to the ice as it is about shot selection and nerves. The Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium has challenged even the best, with subtle changes in ice speed and curl demanding constant adjustments. As Gallant noted after the U.S. loss, “We played four really tough teams. The last three teams were all world podium or Olympic podium teams and we have another one coming tomorrow. We knew that coming into the event it would be super, super tough, so a 3-1 start, we just got to be back to the winning ways, hopefully tomorrow.”
The round robin standings after five draws painted a picture of a fiercely competitive field: Great Britain led at 6-0, the U.S. close behind at 3-0, Canada at 3-2, Italy at 2-1, Sweden at 2-2, and Switzerland at 2-3. Estonia, Czechia, Korea, and Norway were all still searching for their first victories. With only a handful of matches remaining before the semifinals, every end, every stone, and every sweep could tip the balance between medal contention and early elimination.
For fans new to curling, the sport’s intricate rules and strategies have been on full display. Each team’s use of the hammer—the advantage of throwing the final stone in an end—has played a pivotal role, as has the power play, which can open up scoring opportunities or, as Canada discovered, sometimes fall flat. Sweeping the ice, a unique and often misunderstood aspect of curling, is critical for controlling the speed and direction of the stone, with frantic brushing sometimes indicating a misjudged throw.
As the Milano Cortina 2026 mixed doubles curling event barrels toward its conclusion, the drama is far from over. With medal dreams hanging in the balance, Peterman and Gallant will look to rebound and apply the hard-earned lessons from their recent setbacks. The coming days promise more twists, more tension, and, for the teams still standing, a shot at Olympic immortality on the storied ice of Cortina.