In a nail-biting wheelchair curling mixed doubles match at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Paralympics qualifiers in Cortina, Italy, Korea’s Team 200—featuring Lee Young-seok and Baek Hye-jin—suffered a heartbreaking 6-10 defeat to China on June 1 (Korean time).
Thrilling Battle Ends in Agony
The contest remained deadlocked at 6-6 heading into the decisive eighth end, but critical errors allowed China to seize four points and secure victory. Korea conceded one point in the first end before leveling the score with one in the second. China pulled ahead with two points in the third and one in the fourth, leading 4-1.
Team 200 mounted a comeback in the fifth end. Lee Young-seok’s fourth stone dislodged two Chinese stones, and Baek Hye-jin followed by pushing out another, earning three points to tie at 4-4. Korea yielded two in the sixth but reclaimed parity with two in the seventh.
In the final end, China methodically cleared Korean stones. Lee’s third stone aimed at a Chinese rock but missed, leaving China with three stones in the house and Korea with one, resulting in the four-point swing.
Tournament Standings and Path Forward
Prior to this match, Korea lost its opener 5-7 to host Italy amid ice adjustment challenges but rebounded with a 14-3 rout of England and a 9-0 shutout of Japan. A rematch against Italy ended in an 8-7 thriller, marking three straight wins before the China setback.
China now leads with four victories and one loss. Korea sits tied for second at 2-2 alongside four other teams—Estonia, England, the United States, Latvia, and Germany. Advancement requires sweeping the remaining games against the U.S., Latvia, and Estonia.
Post-Match Reflections
Coach Park Gil-woo remarked, “This feels more like an ice adaptation issue than a pure skill gap. Both teams were cautious of each other, and our second half showed promise. Even at 60% of our true ability, we can climb higher—I believe that.”
Baek Hye-jin added, “We were slow to read the stones early on, but adjusted well later. The final end stings deeply—good execution wasn’t enough to avoid defeat. Adaptation played a role, but skill decided it. We couldn’t create favorable situations upfront, so now every remaining match must be a win. Focus per end is key.”
Lee Young-seok reflected, “Mistakes surfaced against China. We’ll review thoroughly, strategize better, and eliminate errors from the next game onward to deliver strong results.”
