Takeaways from the World Wheelchair Curling Championship

With just a year to go until Milano Cortina 2026, the World Wheelchair Curling Championship and the World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship gave fans a sneak peak of the incredible action that they will witness at the Paralympic Winter Games next year.  

Here are our takeaways from the World Wheelchair Curling Championship and the World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship:

China win mixed team title in Stevenston

Reigning Paralympic champions China were unstoppable in Stevenston, pulling off a 14-3 win over the Republic of Korea in the gold medal match en route to their first world title since 2023. China, skipped by Wang Haitao, dominated the gold medal match, scoring four points in the first end and never gave up the lead.

After the game, Wang said, “I’m very happy to become world champion again. I would like to thank the local organising committee and the volunteers for this great event.”

Three years ago at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, China became back-to-back gold medallists in wheelchair curling. While Wang is aiming to win his third gold at Milano Cortina 2026, he said before the World Championships that he tries not to think about his success from past Games.

“I'm really looking forward to it,” Wang said of the year ahead. “I'm still young and my skills are still there. I will continue to strive in the competitions to win glory for the team and myself.

Excitement builds for inaugural Paralympic mixed doubles tournament

Wheelchair curling mixed doubles will make its Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026. The event will be introduced to the Paralympic Games four years after the inaugural World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Championship was held in 2022 in Lohja, Finland.

Latvia’s Polina Rozkova, who won the 2023 edition with Agris Lasmans, said, “Mixed doubles curling is an exciting and engaging game where the cost of mistake is much higher than in traditional curling.”

“Fewer stones mean greater game tension, but on the other hand, understanding your teammate is crucial. In mixed doubles curling, we are not just making our own shots; we are creating opportunities for our partner,” Rozkova told World Curling.

Japan crowned mixed doubles champions

With one year to go until the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, Japan’s Yoji Nakajima and Aki Ogawa celebrated their maiden world title with a 11-2 victory in the gold medal match. 

“Right now, I can’t believe that we did it. Maybe I’ll believe it when I have the medal around my neck,” Nakajima said.

Ogawa also said she was excited during the entire gold medal match. “Last year we missed out on a medal, but we trained harder, and we made it.”

Estonia win first world championship medal

Katlin Riidebach and Ain Villau claimed Estonia’s first wheelchair curling World Championship medal after beating defending champions Korea in the mixed doubles bronze medal match.

Estonia led for most of the match against Korea’s Kim Hyemin and Jeong Junho. After Korea came from behind to tie the game at 5-5 in the fifth end, Riidebach and Villau added three points in the sixth before claiming a 9-5 win.

“I’m overwhelmed! I don’t even know what to say, because we came to the championship with high hopes, but honestly, not so high hopes because there were so many strong teams,” Riidebach said.

Talking about what the medal means for Estonian wheelchair curling, she added, “I hope it brings more people to play, because we have only three people. I hope we inspire them to come.” 

Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, which will take place from 6-15 March, will feature six sports - Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling.

Tickets are now available at tickets.milanocortina2026.org.