Mixed doubles curling is the sport I'm most looking forward to across all of the Olympics. The competition is a lengthy journey that rewards close attention, but I also believe it's one of the best newcomer-friendly events of the entire Games. Even if you don't know anyone at the start, there are just four athletes on screen to keep track of—a relatively novel (for sports) combo of two men and two women. And unlike faster or more equipment-heavy events, curling is all about intimacy and communication. The mood is subdued. The cameras get you right up close. Even if you don't speak the language of the teams you're watching, the long looks at a player's expression as they talk strategy with their partner will help you feel more connected to this stranger than, say, viewing a luge run ever will. You really get to know someone by watching them curl.
Four years ago, my heart was captured by a mixed doubles pair from Italy—one that brought gold-medal glory to a country not traditionally known for its ability to precisely slide 42-pound rocks across a 150-foot-long sheet of ice. That dominant team of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner ran the table in 11 matches, during a tournament where every other pair picked up at least four losses. After repeating that feat at the 2025 World Championships, they're looking to go unbeaten yet again at home in Cortina. I wondered, in 2022, if I was saying "farewell" or "see you later" after I watched them win gold. Well, they're back! And I invite you to watch them along with me.
So what's their deal? For starters, Mosaner and Constantini present a wonderful contrast. The 30-year-old Mosaner, four years older than his more demonstrative teammate, stands out in my memory as the strong, silent type, whose power works flawlessly with the charisma of Constantini. His partner will also be leading Italy's women's team, appearing at its first Olympics since 2006, and she's perfect for the role of skipper. While Mosaner's consistency is challenge enough to the pair's opponents, it was Constantini who took the most nerve-wracking, high-leverage shots in Beijing, and she executed on them with an aplomb that should have been far beyond what a 22-year-old newcomer could handle. She may have looked like just a kid, but she lit up under the spotlight.
There will be no surprising anyone this time around. Constantini's used to winning at the highest level, but now she'll enter Cortina with a target on her back. The home crowd will be on her side, which also brings with it a crushing amount of pressure. But she seems like she's got it all handled.
I'm just so glad she and Amos are back! For most viewers, myself including, the Olympics is this little walled garden of sports that are otherwise too difficult to follow closely, which we can visit just once every four years. Because of that time in between, its storylines are much more often about fresh faces than career continuity. But for the last four years, whenever I've had an occasion to look forward to these games, I've mostly been looking forward to Mosaner and Constantini. That's a testament to just how special they were for those few days that I watched them several years ago, and the fact they come back in 2026 as the unquestioned stars of the mixed doubles tournament is a rewarding payoff for my emotional investment. One nice thing about curling is that age isn't the limiting factor it is in other sports; these two could remain at the top of their game for more Olympics to come. There's still room on the bandwagon.
Mosaner and Constantini will start kicking ass in the very early morning, U.S. time, on Thursday, Feb. 5.
