CORTINA, ITALY – The United States mixed doubles wheelchair curling team fell to the Republic of Korea 6–3 Tuesday in the semifinal at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, ending the Americans’ bid for the inaugural Paralympic mixed doubles title.

Laura Dwyer and Stephen Emt entered the playoff round as the No. 2 seed after a strong round-robin showing, but Korea capitalized on early opportunities and controlled key moments through the middle ends to advance to the gold medal game.

The United States will face Latvia in the bronze medal game Wednesday, while Korea moves on to play China for gold.

Early Steal Shifts Momentum

The Americans opened the match with the hammer but quickly found themselves under pressure from Korea’s precise stone placement.

Before the game, Emt acknowledged the magnitude of the moment.

“Pressure is a privilege,” Emt said. “If you’re feeling pressure you’re doing something right.”

The first end proved pivotal. Korea placed its final stone on the button, forcing a difficult last shot for Dwyer. Her attempt to remove the Korean shot stone narrowly missed, giving Korea a two-point steal and an early 2–0 lead.

Despite the setback, Dwyer emphasized the team’s perspective entering the semifinal.

“I’m so proud,” she said. “It’s an honour and a privilege to be here. We’re with the best of the best, and we’ve shown what showing up looks like.”

Missed Chances In Early Ends

The United States responded with a single point in the second end after Emt executed a runback takeout to remove a Korean stone, trimming the deficit to 2–1.

Both teams continued to search for consistent draw weight as the ice conditions evolved. Several stones from both sides ran through the house or came up light as players worked to dial in their timing.

Korea capitalized in the third end. With the hammer, Baek Hyejin and Lee Yongsuk built pressure in the house and converted for two points, extending the lead to 4–1.

The Americans answered with a single in the fourth end after Emt placed a stone on the button, but another opportunity for multiple points slipped away, leaving the United States trailing 4–2 at the halfway break.

Korea Builds Control After The Break

The middle portion of the game tilted further toward Korea.

In the fifth end, the United States struggled to lock onto key takeouts while Korea steadily positioned stones around the house. Korea added a single point to extend its lead to 5–2.

Reflecting on the match afterward, Emt pointed to the team’s execution throughout the game.

“In all facets of the game,” Emt said when asked where the Americans came up short. “In our strategy, we made some terrible calls in execution, line reading, ice changing. We were off on all of them.

“But hats off to Korea as they’re a fantastic team. They deserve to be playing for a gold medal right now after what they just did over the last two hours.”

Late Push Falls Short

The sixth end became another turning point. Using the power play, the United States attempted to create a multi-stone scoring opportunity, spreading stones across the house to make takeouts more difficult.

Emt found the button with a draw and later removed Korea’s lone stone in the house. But Korea answered with a precise final shot that tucked into a narrow opening beside two American stones. Dwyer’s final attempt to remove the Korean rock missed, giving Korea another steal and pushing the lead to 6–2.

The Americans continued to fight in the seventh end. Dwyer executed a double bump with the hammer to score one point and keep the match alive at 6–3.

But with Korea holding the hammer in the eighth end and the United States low on thinking time, the Korean team kept the house open and limited any opportunity for a multi-point comeback.

Korea removed an American stone late in the end to secure the 6–3 victory and advance to the final.

Afterward, Dwyer acknowledged the frustration of falling short in the semifinal.

“It’s frustrating,” she said. “So frustrating, especially when you know you can and you know you have. That’s in the past now, so all I can do is flush it, reset and move forward.”

Looking Ahead To Bronze

Despite the semifinal loss, the United States remains in position to earn a medal in the first Paralympic mixed doubles wheelchair curling tournament.

Emt made clear the team’s focus has already shifted to the bronze medal game.

“I want it more than anything in my life right now,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a while. Laura and I both deserve it. The United States of America deserves it.

“We’re going to learn from this one, flush it and move on. And we’re going to be ready to go.”

Dwyer acknowledged the support the team has received throughout the tournament, including a strong American presence in the crowd.

“It’s fantastic to have them, especially because we’re so far from home,” she said. “It’s like a big part of our country here with us.”

The Americans will face Latvia in Wednesday’s bronze medal game at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. Korea will meet China in the gold medal final.