Swedish siblings Isabella and Rasmus Wranå win gold in mixed doubles curling, beating US pair

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — At one end of the ice was the brother, pumping his fists. At the other was the sister, jumping up and down with her broom in her hand and a look of disbelief on her bespectacled face.

Isabella and Rasmus Wranå, Sweden’s first-ever team of siblings at the Winter Olympics, won gold in mixed doubles curling on Tuesday night, beating U.S. pair Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin.

The Wranås persevered through a nailbiter of a championship game in front of a spirited, pro-U.S. crowd and pounced after the Americans left an opening in the last end. Isabella threw the winning stone and hunched close to the ice, watching her brother sweep until their red stone knocked out the Americans' yellow rock for a 6-5 victory.

“It’s a perfect shot for me to have, a takeout,” Isabella Wranå said. “But of course you’re nervous. It’s the last shot and you know if you make it, it’s an Olympic gold. But I felt like we kept the calm. We talked about how we’re going to throw it and I knew that I had a really strong sweeper.”

The Americans made history just by getting this far. They became the first U.S. team to medal in Olympic mixed doubles, and Thiesse is the first American woman to medal in Olympic curling.

“It’s been a long time coming, and this is a really big day for USA Curling and for women’s curling in the U.S. I hope that I can bring this medal home and inspire the next generation of women to be up on that podium someday,” Thiesse said.

The Wranå siblings grew up as rivals and were coached by their father, Mats Wranå.

Their current coach, Alison Kreviazuk, said she saw them work on communication throughout their run.

“They’ve got two different personalities out there, so it’s finding that mix of how they can complement each other,” Kreviazuk said. “Figuring out how to talk with each other, I think that they’ve really, really nailed it over the past couple years, and it’s showcased.”

Throughout the match, the Wranås enjoyed a somewhat silent camaraderie with their small contingent of fans. The two remained stoic while Dropkin played to the crowd, whipping up the loud American supporters.

The Wranås won the world title in 2024. Thiesse and Dropkin won at worlds a year earlier.

The Swedish duo started their Olympic bid on stumbly legs, losing three games in a row in the round robin. The skid prompted the Swedish media to label their Olympic bid a “Curlingfiasko.”

But they managed to turn it around and won most of their remaining matches.

It was a heartbreaker for the Americans, who enjoyed roaring support. An American curler screamed from the rafters, “Show me your biceps!” Dropkin obliged.

Thiesse and Dropkin are based in Duluth, Minnesota, and have full-time jobs. Thiesse is a lab technician and Dropkin a real estate agent. Dropkin is engaged and Thiesse is married.

They were classmates in college. Dropkin asked Thiesse to be his mixed doubles partner after a failed qualification run for the Beijing 2022 Games. She agreed and they were world champions a year later.

Italy’s Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner won bronze, defeating Britain 5-3.

It was a bittersweet result for the Italians, the defending Olympic champions whose fans packed the stands throughout the round-robin in hopes to see a repeat. And it was devastating for the Brits, Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat, who were expected to make the final after exiting the round-robin with the most wins of any pair.

They faltered against exacting throws from Mosaner and Constantini, who hails from Cortina and has become a darling of this stadium. The British duo walked off the ice dejected.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Korey Dropkin of the United States competes against Sweden during the curling mix doubles gold medal match at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa and Isabella Wranaa cheer with United States' Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse after winning the gold medal mixed doubles curling match against USA, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Sweden's Isabella Wranaa celebrates after winning the gold medal mixed doubles curling match against USA, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa and Isabella Wranaa celebrate after winning the gold medal mixed doubles curling match against USA, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa and Isabella Wranaa celebrate after winning the gold medal mixed doubles curling match against USA, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa and Isabella Wranaa, left, celebrate after winning the curling mix doubles gold medal match against United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa and Isabella Wranaa celebrate after winning the gold medal mixed doubles curling match against USA, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

United States' Cory Thiesse dejects as she competes against Sweden during the gold medal mixed doubles curling match, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa and Isabella Wranaa, right, celebrate after winning the curling mix doubles gold medal match against United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa and Isabella Wranaa celebrate after winning the gold medal mixed doubles curling match against USA, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Italy's Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini celebrate after winning the bronze medal mixed doubles curling match, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Italy's Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini, right, celebrate after winning the bronze medal mixed doubles curling match Britain's Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Italy's Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini celebrate as Britain's Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds hug at the end of the bronze medal mixed doubles curling match, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Italy's Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini celebrate after winning the bronze medal mixed doubles curling match against Britain, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Italy's Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini celebrate after winning the bronze medal mixed doubles curling match against Britain, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic will miss the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers' regular season with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, the team announced Friday.

Doncic is the NBA's top scorer and the driving force behind the Lakers' surge into the third spot in the Western Conference standings, but he injured his leg during Los Angeles' blowout loss in Oklahoma City on Thursday. An MRI exam revealed the severity of the strain.

The Pacific Division champion Lakers (50-27) have just five games left before the postseason, starting Sunday at Dallas.

Grade 2 hamstring strains sometimes require several weeks of recovery, but Doncic also has prior experience with hamstring issues. He missed four games right before the All-Star break with another left hamstring strain, but returned to the lineup after the break.

Doncic is putting up spectacular numbers in his first full season with the Lakers, who acquired the Slovenian superstar from the Mavericks last season. He is averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game for Los Angeles, and he was named the NBA's Western Conference player of the month for March after racking up 13 consecutive 30-point performances, including seven 40-point games, a 51-point barrage against Chicago and a 60-point masterclass in Miami.

Doncic scored a whopping 600 points in March, becoming only the 10th player in NBA history to hit that mark in one month. While LeBron James and Austin Reaves have also played well down the stretch, the Lakers thoroughly depend on Doncic, who either scored or assisted on 58% of the their total points in March.

Doncic is all but certain to win his second NBA scoring title — but he has played in only 64 games this season, which means he will finish one game shy of the 65-game threshold to be eligible for the NBA's biggest postseason awards.

He was a lock to be an All-NBA selection, and he had even been making a late run at consideration for the MVP award with his outstanding play down the stretch.

Along with his two absences caused by hamstring injuries and a handful of additional absences for minor medical maintenance early in the season, Doncic missed two games last December while flying to Slovenia for the birth of his second child. He also missed one game last week under suspension for accumulating 16 technical fouls.

Since he sits just shy of the 65-game threshold, Doncic theoretically could challenge the rule by citing the extraordinary circumstances of his daughter's birth in Europe through the grievance process created for these collectively bargained rules. It's wholly unclear whether that appeal would have any chance of success.

If Doncic wins the scoring title but doesn't make the All-NBA teams, he would be only the third scoring champ in league history to fail to do so. Elvin Hayes wasn't selected when he won the crown as a rookie in 1969, and Bob McAdoo wasn't chosen for the teams in 1976.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Doncic was injured in the first half against the Thunder, but was cleared to return to the game while his team was getting plastered by the defending NBA champion Thunder. Doncic lasted only about four minutes before he spun, stopped and went down on the court in pain, leading to his departure.

The loss was only the Lakers' third in 19 games since Feb. 26, but Doncic's absence casts a cloud of uncertainty over the rest of their year. Los Angeles only leads fourth-place Denver (49-28) by one game, while sixth-place Minnesota (46-30) is 3 1/2 games back with a game in hand.

The Lakers’ regular-season finale is next Sunday, April 12, at home against Utah. Their first-round playoff series is expected to start the following weekend.

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers forward/guard Luka Dončić (77) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April. 2, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) gestures after a three-point basket against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) is fouled by Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) as Magic forward Tristan da Silva, right, helps defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)