Czech Curling Team Narrowly Loses Olympic Debut to USA | Winter Olympics 2026

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – The Czech Republic men’s curling team suffered a narrow 7-8 defeat against the United States in their Olympic debut on Tuesday, February 11, 2026. The closely contested match, held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, was decided by a precise final stone from American skip Daniel Casper.

The Czech team, led by Lukas Klíma, initially gained an advantage, leading 4-2 by the midpoint of the game after securing a three-point end in the fifth. However, the American team, also making their Olympic debut, responded with a three-point gain of their own in the eighth end to seize the lead. The Czechs managed to tie the score at 7-7, setting the stage for a dramatic final end.

With the score level, the Americans capitalized on having the hammer – the last stone advantage – in the tenth end. Casper executed a precise shot, eliminating a Czech stone positioned closest to the center of the house. According to reports, the play mirrored a previous encounter between the two nations at last year’s World Championship, where the Americans also secured a narrow victory.

The Czech team consists of Klíma, Radek Boháč, Marek Černovský, Martin Jurík, and Lukáš Klípa. They qualified for the Olympics by finishing seventh at the 2025 World Championship in Canada. The Olympic curling tournament features a round-robin format where all ten teams compete against each other, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals.

The Czech Republic will continue their Olympic campaign on Friday, February 13, with matches against Switzerland and Norway.