Are Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin Dating? How Their Partnership Came Together to Make U.S. Curling History at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin have brought the fans to the edge of their seats by creating history at the 2026 Winter Olympics. They are the first Americans who qualified for the curling playoff round on the marquee stage.

Seeing their chemistry take the limelight in Milan–Cortina, a question popped into fans’ minds: are they dating? But the answer is not what you’d expect.

Are US Curlers Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin Dating?

Thiesse and Dropkin’s familiarity goes back to their college days at the University of Minnesota–Duluth. Thiesse was a phenomenon from her junior years, playing in six national junior championships and winning four of them. She was also an alternate on the 2018 Winter Olympic team. The 31-year-old continued adding accolades to her résumé while Dropkin watched her dominate the sport and admired her.

In 2022, after years as friends, they teamed up as mixed doubles partners and soon reached the pinnacle, winning the title at the 2023 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships. They made history on the Olympic stage in 2026, becoming the first Americans to qualify for the curling finals.

Now, returning to the question: Thiesse and Dropkin are not dating and maintain a strictly professional relationship.

In a recent interview, they shared their story, explaining how they met and transitioned from friends to teammates far more easily than bringing in someone new. Dropkin had taken Thiesse on a friendly dinner date and popped the question, which the latter found funny. Clarifying why he did so, the 30-year-old said:

“The funny thing is that for years and years, her mom, Linda, had been sort of a birdie in my ear. Saying, you know, you and my Cory would make really good teammates together.”

Thiesse added: “I think we just started, you know, above a lot of other teams. It just kind of came easy to us.”

The three-time defending US women’s champion got married to Sam Thiesse in 2022, and Dropkin got engaged to Gabby Tachis last year.

READ MORE: Who Are Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin? The U.S. Mixed Doubles Curling Pair Making Olympic History

The U.S. mixed doubles pair competed in the round-robin, posting strong performances against top international teams like Canada and Switzerland, which qualified them for the semifinals.

In the semifinal round, the U.S. team faced the reigning World and Olympic champions, Italy, showcasing their prowess with Thiesse’s sweeping and Dropkin’s shot-making ability, and defeated their opponents 9–8.

The results advanced the duo to the first Olympic finals of their careers and to a place in US curling history. Thiesse previously competed with John Shuster, with whom she won the mixed doubles bronze medal in 2019.