China Secures First Victory at Olympic Winter Games

Bassyonni

Published: February 17, 2026 8:41 AM ET

China Secures First Victory at Olympic Winter Games

In a thrilling display of skill at the Olympic Winter Games 2026, the People’s Republic of China secured its first victory by defeating host nation Italy. This match took place during the eighth round-robin session, showcasing competitive curling in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Match Highlights

China started strong, stealing their first point in the opening end. Despite Italy’s skip, Joel Retornaz, attempting a take-out with his last stone, he only managed to remove one of China’s stones. This early success set the tone for the game.

In the second end, China added two more points as Retornaz’s draw was too heavy, bringing the tally to 3-0. They continued their momentum with another steal in the third end, increasing their lead to 4-0.

Italy Responds

Italy finally broke onto the scoreboard in the fourth end. When Chinese skip Xu Xiaoming attempted to remove two of Italy’s stones, he managed to eliminate only one. This gave Retornaz the opportunity to draw for two points, narrowing the score to 4-2.

The fifth end proved pivotal for China, as they scored four points after Xu executed a strategic take-out, promoting a counter and scoring effectively with multiple stones in place. This brought the score to 8-2.

China Clinches the Win

Italy managed to score two points in the sixth end through a nose-hit by Retornaz, but China responded with three points in the seventh end, courtesy of another double take-out by Xu. The game concluded with an 11-4 score after Italy conceded in the eighth end, marking China’s first victory of the tournament.

Post-Match Reactions

In his post-match comments, Xu Xiaoming expressed the team’s excitement, especially as the match coincided with the Chinese New Year. He acknowledged the pressure but emphasized their focus on performance, which led to the victory.

Overall Implications

This win not only boosts China’s morale but also signifies their potential in the ongoing Olympics. Meanwhile, other matches in the session saw Germany keeping their semi-final hopes alive with a 7-3 victory over the reigning Olympic champions, Sweden, highlighting the competitive nature of curling at this level.