How it unfolded
In only the second Olympics to include mixed doubles, Italy's Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner won all nine of their round-robin matches, an unlikely result from a country not usually regarded as a curling power, beating Canada, Sweden, Great Britain and Norway in turn. Their final opponents were Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten of Norway, bronze medallists at Pyeongchang 2018. The match turned in the fourth end, where Italy swept three points to take control; Norway answered with one in the fifth but never closed the gap. The 8-5 finish capped an 11-0 tournament for Italy across the round robin, semi-final and final. It was Italy's first Olympic curling medal of any colour, and came with the Milan-Cortina Games, to be held on home soil, four years away.
Why it still matters
This match proved in a single tournament why mixed doubles is this sport's engine for global growth. With only two players and far less ice time required, a country can field a competitive team and chase Olympic gold without the resources needed to build a top-level four-person squad. The event's qualifying field grew to a record 33 teams by 2026, up from 29 in 2024, and at Milan-Cortina 2026 Sweden's sibling pair Rasmus and Isabella Wranå took gold.