FOLLOW ALONG HERE WITH LIVE UPDATES FROM TODAY'S COMPETITION AT THE PARALYMPICS.

Round-robin play for Paralympic wheelchair curling concluded on Thursday in Cortina with eight mixed team games. 

The United States squad most likely needed to win both of their matchups — the first against Norway, the second against Canada — in order to advance to the semifinals and keep their medal hopes alive.

A loss would signify the end of the Americans’ Paralympic journeys.

Here’s how Thursday’s action at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium shook out, along with the nations that clinched a semifinal berth.

USA falls short against Norway, eliminated from mixed team competition

Coming into their match Thursday morning in Cortina, the United States mixed team needed a victory. Their medal dreams depended on it. 

Norway, an opponent facing the same predicament, refused to assume the role of Mr. Sandman. They knocked off the Americans in a nailbiter that was tied heading into the eighth end. The final score was 7-4.

The Norwegians, skipped by 10-time Paralympian Jostein Stordahl, had lost five straight to open the tournament, but won their next two contests. The 2024 world champions seemed to be righting the ship at the wrong time for the Americans.

Meanwhile, the 3-4 United States hadn’t really been able to find continuity during their 2026 Paralympic play.

They started by dropping their first two matchups. One was to China, the now No. 2 seed in the semifinals, and the other was to last place Great Britain. Then, they ripped off a pair of victories, including one against the now No. 3 seed Sweden. 

After that, they lost two more, falling behind big early in both (8-0 and 4-0). They shifted strategy, swapping Sean O’Neill to fourth position and a struggling skip Matt Thums to third. It led to a Wednesday 9-2 shellacking of South Korea. 

A triumph against Norway would continue the two-down, two-up pattern. It wasn’t in the cards.

Norway posted a point in the first end and two points in the second after O’Neill sailed two hammer rocks out of the house to slide out to a quick 3-0 lead.

In the third, O’Neill had another opportunity to draw — Norway another chance to steal — and this time, he came through, executing a takeout shot that removed a red (Norwegian) stone from the sheet and landed a yellow one closest to the button. The U.S. was on the board.

Norway managed to collect another point in the fourth to take a 4-1 advantage into the second half. The Americans found themselves in a similar predicament. In dire straights, between a rock (no pun intended) and a hard place. Very little room for error and in need of a comeback.

The U.S. threatened in the fifth with a trio of draws from lead Oyuna Uranchimeg, Dan Rose and Thums that resulted in double shot rock. Geir Arne Skogstad landed a textbook double takeout to put Norway back in control. After a couple more draws, the U.S. escaped with one to cut the deficit to two.

The Americans “slid it back” in the sixth, stealing a point thanks to a well-placed draw by O’Neill that stopped just outside the button. 4-3 Norway.

In the seventh, the U.S. continued to apply pressure. With the second-to-last stone, O’Neill dropped another beautiful draw inches outside the button. Rather than counter with a draw, Stordahl elected to go for a difficult double takeout. He managed a single, leaving a yellow stone closer to the center of the house and tying the game at 4-4.

It came down to the final end.

Unfortunately for the U.S., Norway saved perhaps their strongest end for last, tossing four masterful draws and three effective guards. 

With the final stone, O’Neill needed to execute a perfect shot — knock out a red stone that sat on the pin — but had to rush to deliver it since time was running out. The stone came up well short of the house and Norway took the game.

It was a disappointing finish for the U.S., but the tournament as a whole provided a wealth of experience for the group, especially the first-time Paralympians, like O’Neill, Rose and Katie Verderber.

With the mixed team eliminated, and Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer losing the bronze medal game, the United States will have to wait until 2030 to try to earn the country’s first wheelchair curling medal.

Canada stays perfect, defeats USA in round-robin finale

Although the result of the match had no bearing on semifinal seeding or medal implications of any kind, the United States vs. Canada remained an anticipated contest.

The Canadians represented the Boogeymen and women of mixed team Paralympic wheelchair curling: undefeated, hardly challenged, inevitable. 

As they did to every other nation they faced, Canada emerged victorious, sinking their fellow North American foes, 7-3, to push their undefeated record to 9-0.

Alternate Verderber got her first-career Paralympic start for the U.S., while Thums slotted back to fourth. They actually got on the board first, swiping two points in the opening end, but Canada responded quickly, posting a deuce of their own in the second.

Heading into halftime, the score was tied at 3-3. That’s when the Canadians took over. They put up four in the next three ends, while blanking the U.S. behind a steady mix of elite draw, guard and takeout shots. 

Thums, Verderber, Uranchimeg, Rose and O'Neill leave Cortina with a 3-6 record and a wealth of experience on the global Paralympic stage.

Mark Ideson and company of Canada, however, moved on to the medal round.

South Korea defeats Italy, semifinal field set

By the time the United States was eliminated, three teams already qualified for the semifinals.

Canada locked in the No. 1 seed and China grabbed the No. 2 seed.

Sweden clinched as well. South Korea and Italy were tied for fourth, and they just so happened to play each other in Thursday’s afternoon session. 

South Korea rose to the moment, outlasting Italy, 6-5, to scoop up the No. 4 seed. They’ll lock horns with the powerhouse No. 1 seed Canada on Friday — about 48 hours after they last competed. In that game, Canada won by a final score of 6-3.

In the No. 2 vs. No. 3 semifinal matchup, China (8-1) will clash with Sweden (5-4). In their lone round-robin meeting, China dominated in a 12-3 blowout.

The winner of each contest goes onto the gold medal game, while the loser plays in the bronze medal game. 

Here is the remaining wheelchair curling schedule.

1. Canada (9-0) (Q)
2. China (8-1) (Q)
3. Sweden (5-4) (Q)
4. South Korea (5-4) (Q)
5. Norway (4-5)
6. Italy (4-5)
7. Latvia (3-6)
8. Slovakia (3-6)
9. United States (3-6)
10. Great Britain (1-8)

Q = Qualified for semifinals