🥌 Drama in Kelowna! China’s mixed doubles curling duo Yu Sen and Ye Zixuan fell 7-3 to the Republic of Korea’s Jeong Yeong-seok and Kim Seon-yeong in a crucial playoff on Thursday, missing out on a ticket to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. 😢
The match started tight, with China trailing 4-2 after three ends. A missed final delivery and a stolen point pushed the ROK lead to 5-2 by the fourth end.
After the break, Yu and Ye switched to power-play tactics in the fifth end but managed just one point. ROK’s solid defense and a chaotic house in the seventh end allowed another steal, extending the gap to 7-3.
Jeong and Kim sealed the deal with an explosive double takeout in the eighth end, prompting China’s duo to concede and bid farewell to their Olympic dream.
In other qualifiers, the Czech Republic edged out Australia 6-5, and ROK beat Australia again 10-5 to lock in the final spot for the Milano Cortina Games.
Reference(s):
Chinese mixed doubles curlers fail to qualify for Milano Cortina 2026
cgtn.com
