Canada's Rachel Homan reacts during a women's curling semifinal match against Sweden, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — The top-ranked Canadian women couldn’t overcome “straighter” ice and a sharp Sweden squad, and now the country’s controversial men’s team will have the curling power’s last chance at Olympic gold at the Milan Cortina Games.

With Canada already shut out of the mixed team event medals, Rachel Homan’s team was upset by Anna Hasselborg’s Sweden in the semifinals Friday.

“They’re heartbroken right now,” Canada coach Heather Nedohin said.

Sweden, ranked No. 12, will face Switzerland for gold on Sunday.

Sweden, which has won the women’s competition three times since curling returned to the Olympic program in 1998, beat Canada 6-3.

Homan had beaten Hasselborg in all three of their previous meetings this season.

Silvana Tirinzoni’s Switzerland beat the United States 7-4 and will be aiming for their first women’s gold at the Olympics.

Canada will play the U.S. for bronze on Saturday.

Another gold for Netherlands

Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong of the Netherlands won her first Olympic gold, and sixth career medal overall, by finishing first in speedskating’s 1,500 meters.

Rijpma-de Jong finished in 1 minute, 54.9 seconds, as thousands of Dutch fans roared in the stands. She was 0.06 faster than silver medalist Ragne Wiklund of Norway. Canada’s Valerie Maltais took bronze.

Earlier at these Games, Dutch women also took gold at shorter distances — Femke Kok in the 500 and Jutta Leerdam in the 1,000.

Japanese star Miho Takagi, who won consecutive silver medals in the 1,500 meters at the past two Olympics, finished sixth.

US ends speedskating drought

MILAN — Kim Gilli denied South Korea teammate Minjeong Choi her third consecutive Olympic gold in the women’s 1,500 meters in short-track speedskating Friday night, while Corinne Stoddard earned a drought-ending bronze medal for the U.S. at the Milan Cortina Games.

It’s the first time in 16 years that an American woman has won an individual medal in short-track.

Stoddard set the early pace in the final race of the Olympic program, but Choi swept to the front with two laps to go as the crowd rose to its feet. Gilli quickly went with her and the 21-year-old made the decisive pass on her teammate before crossing the finishing line.

Stoddard raised her arms in triumph as she crossed the line a split-second later for third place.

American freeskier completes medal collection

LIVIGNO, Italy — Over a decade of trying and getting oh-so-close, American freeskier Alex Ferreira twirled his pole above his head knowing that he had done the best he could to finally become an Olympic gold medalist.

Moments later, after his rivals had failed to better his top score, Ferreira celebrated the completion of his medal collection with his family and friends on Friday, when he won the men’s halfpipe final on a frosty night in the Italian Alps.

His first gold medal at age 31 came after Ferreira took silver in Pyeongchang 2018 and the bronze four years ago in Beijing.

Ferreira won with a third and final run worth 93.75 points, jumping ahead of 19-year-old Henry Sildaru of Estonia.

Sildaru captured the silver in his first Olympics. His third run was just 0.75 points off Ferreira’s mark.

Brendan Mackay of Canada took the bronze, nudging American Nick Goepper off the podium on the last run of the 11-man final.