The United States began its two-match Thursday with a loss to Japan (7-5), the 2025 wheelchair curling mixed doubles world champions.
The teams were tied 1-1 after two ends, and in the third, Aki Ogawa beautifully curled her 10th stone close to the tee, ultimately awarding her squad two points.
Japan went on to steal a point in the fourth and another two in the fifth, giving them a 6-1 lead. With hammer for the third end in a row, the U.S. elected to use a power play in the sixth, which, like their previous contest against Latvia, proved hugely helpful.
With an unclogged sheet, the Americans kept the house mostly clear of red stones. They put an exclamation point on a stellar end when Emt took out the one Japanese rock in the way to give his team four much-needed points, slicing the deficit to one (6-5).
It proved to be too little too late, however, as a pin-point 10th stone throw by Okawa in the seventh extended Japan’s lead to 7-5. The U.S. couldn’t muster another comeback effort in the eighth end and lost its first game of the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympics.
The disappointing defeat appeared as if it might be compounded by another when the U.S. fell into an early 2-0 hole against (previously) undefeated Estonia. Dwyer and Emt very easily could have let go of the rope, but instead, they bounced back in a major way.
Dwyer executed perhaps her best, and certainly her most important, shot of the Paralympics in the second end, delivering the U.S. three crucial points. It handed her team the lead, and the tandem never looked back.
The 48-year-old from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, worked her magic again in the third end, throwing a guard rock that blocked Estonia’s path to more points. It resulted in a deuce and steal for the U.S., who took a 5-2 lead into the fourth.
Dwyer and Emt continued to put pressure on their opponents, filling the house with stones. It helped force an errant throw by Katlin Riidebach, giving the U.S. an additional two points and commanding 7-2 advantage.
The nations traded a few more points, and when it was all said and done, the United States emerged victorious by a final score of 8-4.