2023 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship: United States beat Japan for historic gold
Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin secured USA's first mixed doubles world crown after Norway defeated Canada to take bronze in Gangneung, Republic of Korea.
Curling
The United States claimed their first ever mixed doubles curling world title with an 8-2 victory over Japan on Saturday (29 April).
Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin scored three doubles in seven ends in Gangneung to secure USA a first curling world crown since Debbie McCormick skipped the women to glory in 2003.
Japan's Matsumura Chiaki and Tanida Yasumasa were unable to repeat their pool-play win over the Americans, scoring just two singles as they had to settle for silver.
Norway took bronze as Martine Roenning and Mathias Braenden defeated Canada's superstar line-up of Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing 6-2 with all the scores coming courtesy of singles.
Cory and Korey create American history
After stealing one in the opening end, USA went further clear thanks to a fine draw from Dropkin for two which Thiesse guarded with her last stone.
Matsumura's draw to the button with the hammer came up marginally short to hand USA a double and a 3-0 lead.
Japan managed to get on the the board with a single in the third thanks to an attempted double take-out from Matsumura, although if she had connected properly it would have been a double.
But the USA scored another double in the fourth thanks to Thiesse's perfectly-weighted raise of the Japanese shot stone just below the button.
Matsumara's slightly heavy draw with the hammer handed USA another steal in the fifth end for a 6-1 advantage, and she missed a difficult raise attempt in the sixth as Japan were only able to score a single.
Dropkin's double take-out with the American's penultimate shot in the seventh left them on the brink of victory, and Thiesse completed the job as her nose-hit yielded their third double and the Japanese concession.
The triumph saw USA join Switzerland, Sweden and Scotland as the only nations to have complete sets of men's, women's and mixed doubles curling world titles.