Two Minnesota curling teams book tickets to the Olympics

The United States will have men’s and women’s curling teams in the Olympics again. And both teams will be from Minnesota.

Danny Casper’s rink used a tremendous four-point ninth end to beat China 9-4 on Wednesday in the first round of the qualification finals in Kelowna, British Columbia, booking its trip to the 2026 Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Tabitha Peterson’s rink defeated Norway 8-4 at the same venue on Thursday to earn its ticket to the Games.

Team Casper, out of Chaska, was down 2-0 after the first end. The group stole a point in the next three ends and added another in the fifth to lead 4-2. In the pivotal sixth, China’s skip Xu Xiaoming had a shot to steal two, but missed by inches to only get one. Casper drew in for one in the seventh, and Team USA led 5-3.

Team USA led 5-4 going into the ninth end. Casper had the hammer and had three stones closest to the button. Xu’s final shot lacked touch and slid through the house, the latest of several shots that China misfired on. Casper then drew in for a massive four to end the match.

Nine countries in each of the men’s and women’s divisions competed in Kelowna for two final spots in the Olympics. Casper’s rink finished second in round robin play at 6-1, with its only loss coming against China. But the group downed China in the qualification match to book its ticket to Italy.

“I felt pressure, but I mean, it’s an honor to play in games that give you that feeling,” Casper told reporters following the match. “I had a good friend of mine remind me [of] that today, and I think that was really helpful.”

The group reached the Olympic Qualification Event by winning the U.S. trials last month in Sioux Falls, S.D., defeating five-time Olympian John Shuster’s team in the finals.

Peterson’s rink led 8-4 heading into the 10th end Thursday, within smelling distance of a trip to the Olympics.

“Take a breath,” the Eagan native told her teammates before the start of the final end.

It was all about managing the game at that point. The group just needed to keep Norway from getting enough rocks in play to post a big number.

“See a rock, hit a rock,” Cory Thiesse, Peterson’s third, added.

Peterson’s team includes her sister, Tara. They both started out at the St. Paul Curling Club and both had children after competing in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. They weren’t able to automatically qualify for the 2026 Olympics because of their time away.

Thiesse, who will also compete in the mixed event with Korey Dropkin, is from Duluth. Lead Taylor Anderson-Heide lives in Minneapolis. This will be Tabitha’s third Olympics and Tara’s second.

Norway led after round robin play but proceeded to suffer crushing losses to Japan on Wednesday and to Peterson’s team on Thursday. Their shots weren’t of enough quality, and Tabitha Peterson outclassed Norway’s skip Marianne Roervik when it came to final throws.

Team Peterson was third through round robin play, then played its best match on Thursday.

Peterson told her team there was plenty of time left when it fell behind 3-0 in the second end. The group produced a three in the third and stole one in the fifth, sixth and seventh to turn the match around. It was 6-4 in the ninth end when Norway tried to steal, but Roervik’s shot was too heavy. Peterson had the hammer, and her final shot gave them a big two heading into the tenth.