Jewish athlete Korey Dropkin has made history by winning the silver medal in the mixed doubles curling at the Winter Olympics – the US team’s first ever medal in the event – on Tuesday.
He claimed the medal alongside teammate Cory Thiesse, who became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in any curling event.
Dropkin, 30, said: “I’ve got the best team that I could ever ask for… it’s been a special week that we’ve been able to share. Thank you to everyone back home watching, all around the US, around the world”.
The pair, known affectionately by their coaches as “girl Cory and boy Korey”, went into the final as surprise favourites after the well-fancied British pair were beaten in the semi-finals by Sweden’s brother-and-sister outfit.
But Dropkin and Thiesse did not capitalise sufficiently on their chances in a nail-biting contest, which saw them go down 6-5 to the underdog Swedes.
They led 5-4 with just one of eight ends to go, but were beaten with a routine final draw from Sweden after Dropkin’s final stone missed all the Swedish guards and Thiesse’s failed to clear the house sufficiently.
Nevertheless, their performance at the Games represents a major step forward for curling in the US; it is hoped that their maiden female medallist and medals in this event will spur on future generations of American curlers.
Thiesse, 31, said: “I know how important it was for me to have people to look up to when I was growing up so I just hope that I can be an inspiration for young girls in curling… to just dream big and work hard to achieve your goals”.
Indeed, curling appears to be on the up as a global sport; it is soon to launch the ‘Rock League’, a global professional circuit which will be aired by American broadcaster CBC.
During the initial round-robin stage of the tournament, Dropkin and Thiesse beat adversaries from Norway, Switzerland, Canada, Czechia, Estonia, and eventual finalists Sweden, dropping matches only to the British, South Korean, and Italian teams.
They progressed to the semi-finals, where they then beat Italy to set up their first-ever gold medal match in the event.
Throughout, pundits noted the symbiotic partnership of Dropkin’s bravado and showmanship with Thiesse’s control and composure.
During the final, commentators noted how Dropkin “plays to the crowd”, dubbing him “the Novak Djokovic of curling”.
Dropkin commended Thiesse’s knack of staying calm in the big moments throughout the Games, saying, “she’s like Kobe Bryant or Caitlin Clark just draining them, she’s clutch”.
Dropkin is one of 18 Jewish or Israeli athletes competing in the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, which ends on 22 February.
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