SEOUL, February 08 (AJP) - South Korea recorded its first victory in the mixed doubles curling tournament at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 7, as the main medal competitions got underway.
Kim Sun-young and Jeong Yeong-seok defeated the United States pair of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin 6-5 in an extra end at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. The South Korean duo, who had suffered five consecutive losses to open the round-robin stage, held off a late surge from the Americans to secure the win.
South Korea led 5-2 heading into the final end of regulation, but the U.S. team, the 2023 world champions, scored three points to force the match into overtime. Kim Sun-young and Jeong Yeong-seok regained their composure in the extra end, outmaneuvering their opponents to clinch the deciding point. Despite the win, the South Korean pair remains at the bottom of the 10-team standings with a 1-5 record, making a top-four finish to qualify for the semifinals unlikely.
In figure skating, Cha Jun-hwan struggled in his opening performance during the team event at the Milan Ice Skating Arena. Competing in the men's short program, Cha Jun-hwan finished eighth out of 10 skaters with a total score of 83.53 points. He received 41.78 for technical elements and 41.75 for program components after a mistake on his final jump, a triple axel.
The result left South Korea in seventh place overall in the team event with 14 points, failing to advance to the free skating portion reserved for the top five nations. The United States, Japan, Italy, Canada, and Georgia progressed to the next round.
In cross-country skiing, Lee Eui-jin and Han Da-som finished 54th and 65th, respectively, in the women's 10-plus-10-kilometer skiathlon. Both athletes were unable to complete the full distance before being lapped.
Elsewhere on the first full day of medal competition, gold medals were awarded to athletes from Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Japan, and Norway.
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