On Thursday in Kelowna, Canada, the Chinese mainland mixed doubles curling pair Yu Sen and Ye Zixuan fell 7-3 to the Republic of Korea's Jeong Yeong-seok and Kim Seon-yeong, narrowly missing qualification for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Playing with the red stones, Yu and Ye trailed 4-2 after three ends. Their final delivery in the fourth end slid just wide of the house, allowing the ROK duo to steal a point and extend their lead to 5-2. After an intermission, the Chinese mainland team switched to power play tactics in the fifth end but managed only a single point.
The turning point came in the seventh end, when Jeong and Kim's disciplined defense forced a chaotic house and seized another stolen point, pushing the advantage to 7-3. A spectacular double takeout by the ROK pair in the eighth proved decisive, prompting Yu and Ye to concede and conclude their Olympic bid.
In other playoff action, the Czech Republic edged Australia 6-5 to secure one of the final Olympic berths. The ROK then defeated Australia 10-5 to lock in the last spot for Milano Cortina 2026.
The Kelowna qualifiers brought together mixed doubles teams from across the globe, underscoring curling's growing international appeal. With the Olympic field now finalized, all eyes shift to Milano and Cortina d'Ampezzo for February 2026's Winter Games.
Reference(s):
Chinese mixed doubles curlers fail to qualify for Milano Cortina 2026
cgtn.com
