 Gangwon's Kim Seon-yeong and Jeong Yeong-seok (Photo: Curling1spoon) are Korea's national mixed doubles team for the 2025-26 season. By: Cameron Sallaj Following disappointing performances at the Korean Olympic Team Trials in June, Kim Seon-yeong and Jeong Yeong-seok teamed up to try to capture the mixed doubles title for the first time. The pair, hailing from Gangneung, previously won bronze at both the 2022 and 2023 championships before failing to qualify in 2024. Through the regional qualifiers, Kim and Seong had mixed results. Sitting at a 2-3 record, the team edged out their respective skips Kim Eun-jung and Park Jong-duk 7-6 in the final qualifying game, becoming the fifth and final team to qualify out of Gangwon. Once at the national championship, Seon-yeong and Yeong-seok stepped up their game, finishing 6-1 through their round robin pool and reaching the playoffs as the third seed. Along the way, they defeated Team Gim's alternate Seol Ye-ji and her partner Kim San 9-2 and also beat 2024 national team champion skip Lee Jae-beom and Yang Seung-hee 7-3. In the playoff round, the pair, representing 'Gangwon E', defeated Jeonbuk B 7-6 in the quarterfinals and then beat Daegu B 10-3 in the semifinals. This qualified them for the national final, the furthest they had ever made it at the championship. There, they faced Gangwon D's Kim Hye-rin and Yoo Min-hyeon, the team that knocked them out in the semifinals in 2023. Kim and Yoo went on to claim silver that year and finished third in 2024. With a spot on the national team on the line, Seon-yeong and Yeong-seok opened the game with a big splash, counting four in the opening end. Hye-rin and Min-hyeon did not conceded that easily, however, scoring four of their own in the second to tie the score. Gangwon E counted a single in the third to retake the lead before stealing one in the fourth to take a 6-4 lead into the break. The Gangneung pair then stole another point in five to go ahead by three. A strong power play end in six gave Gangwon D two points, closing the gap to 7-6. In seven, however, Kim Seon-yeong would secure the win for her team with a triple takeout to count five, lifting Gangwon E to a 12-6 victory and the national title. Final - Gangwon D (Kim Hye-rin / Yoo Min-hyeon) vs Gangwon E (Kim Seon-yeong / Jeong Yeong-seok): After both failing to qualify for the Olympics through team play, Kim and Jeong will get a second opportunity as they become the national team for the 2025-26 season. They will represent Korea at the 2025 Olympic Qualification Event where they will need to finish in one of the top two places to secure a spot at Milano-Cortina 2026. Additionally, they will compete at the World Mixed Doubles Championship, held in April in Geneva, Switzerland. Kim Seon-yeong currently plays lead on the world fourth ranked Kim Eun-jung rink. She previously won silver at the 2018 PyeongChang Games and also reached the final at the 2022 World Women's Championship. Now competing in mixed doubles, she is trying to reach her third straight Olympics following a 4-5 record in 2022. Jeong Yeong-seok, current third on Park Jong-duk's Gangwon team, burst onto the national scene in 2020 when he surprised many to claim the Korean title. He later moved to Gangwon and won the title again in 2023 as third for Park. He is trying to qualify for his first Olympic Games. |
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Saskatchewan's Rylan Kleiter (Photo: Anil Mungal/GSOC) defeated Italy's Joel Retornaz 7-6 to grab their first win on the 2025-2026 season in Trentino, Italy.
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