[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, November 8, 2024]—Team USA headed to the World Wheelchair Curling B Championship needing to finish in the top three to earn a berth in the 2025 World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Stevenston, Scotland.

But the team (Matt Thums, Shawn Sadowski, Steve Emt, Oyuna Uranchimeg, Laura Dwyer) wasn’t content to simply make the podium—a strong performance put them on top after beating England 8-7 in the semifinal and topping Japan 9-4 in the gold medal game.

The team suffered just two losses during round-robin play, finishing 10-2 and entering the playoffs as the top seed.

Team USA skip Matt Thums said, “We were disappointed with our performance at last year’s World Championship, and were intent on earning the 2025 berth at this event. We’re pleased with the result here in Finland, but now have our focus firmly on the World Championship. The training we’ve been doing is showing up in results on the ice.”

The 2025 World Wheelchair Curling Championship will run from March 1-8, and will be followed by the World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship from March 11-16. Team USA is already qualified for the World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles event.

About USA Curling

Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA Curling is the National Governing body for the Olympic sport of curling and the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling in the United States. The mission of USA Curling is to grow, strengthen, and advocate for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling in the United States by prioritizing accessibility and programmatic development from grassroots to podium. USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, the Dale’s family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Toyota, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of the World Curling Federation and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.