Italian Star Advances Defending Champions to Semifinals with 7-6 Thriller
Italian curling star Stefania Constantini delivered a clutch performance Monday, securing a 7-6 victory over Team USA in the final round-robin match to advance the defending Olympic champions to the mixed doubles semifinals at Milano Cortina 2026.
Competing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, Constantini and partner Amos Mosaner held their nerve in the decisive final end, executing a takeout shot to secure the win. Italy finished round-robin play with a 5-3 record, earning a top-four seed heading into the playoffs.
Scoring Drama in the Fifth End
The match turned decisively in the fifth end when Constantini executed a sharp double-takeout shot, angling her final stone wide and hitting another rock that sent two U.S. stones crashing out of the center. All U.S. stones subsequently drifted from the target, with Italy scoring four crucial points to take a commanding 6-2 lead.
Team USA mounted a comeback attempt, scoring two points in the sixth end before stealing two more in the seventh after Constantini’s draw shot floated past the button. The dramatic scoring swings leveled the match at 6-6 heading into the final end, setting up the decisive moment.
Defending Their Beijing Gold
Constantini and Mosaner won all nine matches in Beijing, capturing Italy’s first-ever Olympic curling gold medal in mixed doubles. The 26-year-old from Pieve di Cadore pumped her fist as the crowd erupted following Monday’s victory, cementing Italy’s position as a medal threat in Cortina.
The Italian duo will face Team USA once again in today’s curling semifinal. Meanwhile, Great Britain, which topped the standings at 8-1, takes on Sweden in the competition’s other semifinal.
