Team Casper, which defeated Minnesota’s Team Shuster in the U.S. Qualifier, set down China in Kelowna, BC to earn its Olympic berth.
KELOWNA, BC — It was not a walk in the proverbial frozen park, but the U.S.A.’s Team Casper is headed to Milan Cortina after winning a qualifier over China to earn a berth in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
NBC Sports reports that Skip Danny Casper and teammates Luc Violette, Ben Richardson, Aidan Oldenburg and Rich Ruohonen set down China’s Team Xu to ensure that the U.S. will be represented by a men’s curling team for the seventh consecutive Winter Games.
While the U.S. won the contest 9-4, it was far closer than that. Olympics correspondent Macklin Stern says Team Xu made a few too many costly errors, and Casper landed enough shots to continue the team’s Cinderella Story.
“It’s kind of a trend of ours, we don’t necessarily start the best, but once we get the ice figured out, we’re really comfortable,” skip Danny Casper told NBC Sports.
“I felt pressure, but I mean, it’s an honor to play in games that give you that feeling,” Danny said. “I had a good friend of mine remind me that today, and I think that was really helpful.”
The 24-year-old didn’t specify who this “friend” was, but Stern writes that Minnesota’s John Shuster is a good bet. Casper and crew upset Team Shuster, based in Duluth, in the U.S. Team Trials, and Shuster has long been a mentor and supporter of the 24-year-old, who will now represent his country in Italy.
Olympic curling for Team USA begins with round-robin play on February 11 at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium and will stream live on Peacock.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Team Peterson (USA) will look to punch their own ticket to Milan Cortina on Thursday when they face off against Team Roervik (NOR). The team is led by skipper Tabitha Peterson and her sister Tara, Minnesota natives who grew up in Burnsville and competed at the St. Paul Curling Club.
