Americans Plys and Persinger create Olympic curling ground for students
Chris Plys of Team Shuster throws the stone as he takes on Team Dropkin in the second night of the U.S. Olympic Curling Team Trials at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb. On Saturday November 20, 2021 . (AP Photo / Rebecca S. Gratz)
PA
American Chris Plys will have two chances to win a curling medal at the Beijing Olympics.
The only member of the 2022 U.S. men’s squad not part of the gold-medal quartet in Pyeongchang, Plys also qualified for the mixed doubles with Vicky Persinger on Thursday.
The Americans beat Russia 6-4 in a last-ditch qualifying event in the Netherlands. Earlier Thursday, Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt of Australia beat South Korea 6-5 to win the other Olympic spot that was still on the line.
Plys had already qualified for his second trip to the Winter Games with reigning Olympic champions John Shuster, Matt Hamilton and John Landsteiner. Persinger will participate in his first Olympic Games; she finished second twice in the American trials.
Plys and Persinger will open the Olympics on February 2, two days before the opening ceremony. The medal round will take place on February 8, a day before Plys returns to the ice with the US men’s team.