USA Olympic curling medal history: How Korey Dropkin, Cory Thiesse can join very short list with gold

Curling can be one of the most exciting Olympic events. 

Despite being played at the original Winter Games in 1932, the event then spent nearly six decades solely as a demonstration event, with scores being irrelevant. Curling officially returned to the Olympics in 1992, and since then, the United States has had at least one team compete in the event. 

Team USA is not historically known for its curling, with only one gold medal across men's, women's and mixed doubles in team history heading into the 2026 Winter Games. 

The United States qualified for all three curling events at the Olympics, with Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse being charged with mixed doubles duty. The USA has never medaled in mixed doubles, but Dropkin and Thiesse played their way to a win in the bronze medal game, guaranteeing the United States' first-ever medal in the event regardless of the gold medal game result. 

With three Olympic curling events to compete in, here is more on how the United States has fared in the sport at the Olympics. 

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Has the USA won Olympic gold in curling?

Yes, the United States has won a gold medal in the three events it has participated in. The lone gold medal win for the United States came in men's curling at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. Heading into the 2026 Olympics, the U.S. has never won a gold medal in either women's or mixed doubles curling. 

Last USA curling Olympic gold medal

The last time the USA won a gold medal in the Olympics was in 2018. The United States played nine games during the round-robin portion of the tournament and went 5-4. Despite this being barely a winning record, the U.S. qualified for the playoffs as the third-place team.

They took on Canada in the semifinals and won 5-3. The United States held a 4-3 lead heading into the final end and notched one point to secure the 5-3 victory. This clinched the country's first-ever berth in the gold medal game. 

The United States then faced Sweden in the gold medal game. When they played in the round-robin portion of that year's tournament, Sweden dominated, winning 10-4. 

Heading into the eighth end of the gold medal match, the score was tied 5-5. Sweden imploded in the eighth end, and the United States put up a five-spot for a commanding lead. Sweden even took two back in the ninth end to make it 10-7, but with the U.S. holding the hammer for the final end, Sweden opted to concede, which is common in curling when a lead seems insurmountable. 

It was the first time that the United States had ever won a gold medal in men's curling, and marked just the second overall curling medal for the country. 

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USA Olympic gold medal table

Men's curling

The United States men's curling team has been the most productive of the country's curling teams. They took gold in 2018 but also earned two bronze medals (1992 and 2006). Team USA made the playoffs in both 1998 and 2022, but fell in the bronze medal game those years. 

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Women's curling

The United States women's curling teams haven't had the same consistent success. They have yet to make the podium for the event, with the best finish being fourth in 2002. 

Team USA's women's team has also finished fifth once, sixth once, eighth twice and 10th twice in the program's history. 

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Mixed doubles curling

Mixed doubles curling was introduced in 2018. The United States finished the inaugural event in sixth place in 2018 and then took a step back in 2022. In 2026, however, the mixed doubles team made it to the gold medal game, ensuring that Team USA's mixed doubles team would receive its first medal in the event. 

During the 2026 round-robin portion of the tournament, Thiesse and Dropkin combined to go 6-3 in Team USA's nine games. This earned the United States the third spot in the playoffs, pitting them against Italy in a huge matchup. Team USA finished strong, scoring two points in the final end to advance to the gold medal game against Sweden. 

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