Power couple from Italy part of mixed doubles debut in Torino

Unexpected twists are one of the hallmarks of the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games and for curling teams from many universities, the debut of a new discipline this year proved to be one of them – albeit a rewarding one.

For the first time in its history, FISU introduced the mixed doubles event at the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games and while it is a tad different from what most athletes are used to in the sport of curling, there are similarities that makes it just as captivating.

American Teagan Thurston, a business administration major at the Minnesota State University, Mankato thinks, “it is amazing that they brought mixed doubles to Torino and to the World University Games in general.” She went on to highlight that “it is a fantastic discipline and it has been growing in popularity and it’s great that it is here for the first time.”

Mixed doubles, as Thurston denotes, has gained a strong foundation in competitive winter sports especially since its Olympic debut at Pyeongchang 2018 in South Korea. The Canadian duo of John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes then made history by winning gold, and were followed at Beijing 2022 by Italians Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner.

Why now for mixed doubles at the FISU Games?

The plan was to introduce mixed doubles curling at the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games but according to Milan Augustin, Director of Winter Games at FISU, “Mixed doubles is nothing new as it has been discussed many years ago to be included as a permanent event at FISU and it has nothing to do with the Olympics debuting it. It is mainly because we had plans to include more teams and more countries to give them the possibility to participate in the FISU Games. So far the public reception has been great to witness and I am glad that Torino being the Mecca of university sports was able to make this a reality.”

The decision to include mixed doubles at Torino 2025 opens up a wealth of opportunities for young student-athletes to explore the event and gain ample experience needed to compete at the highest levels of the sport.

It is a fairly new discipline… but is it, really?

Mixed doubles, unlike four-person curling, is more fast-paced and it involves one female and one male per team.  Each team delivers five stones per end, with one pre-placed stone apiece to start. Games last about 90 minutes over eight ends, instead of the traditional 10.

Players alternate throwing stones, and a “power play” can be called once per game to reposition stones for better scoring opportunities. If tied after eight ends, an extra end or draw-to-the-button challenge decides the winner. This format emphasizes strategy, teamwork, and quick decision-making.

Matthieu Fague from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland thinks it is interesting to engage in this for the first time at this level.

 “We had to use a different strategy because this game is much more offensive and its level of difficulty to me is relative because it depends on how a team can learn the ice, how the stone curls, and how they muster its control,” the geology major said.

His coach, Stefan Meinsberg added that although they need to hone their skills for this event, he wants to see “all the younger athletes in FISU get more experience playing internationally and most importantly have fun.”

Although this is the first-ever mixed doubles curling event at the FISU Games, Great Britain came in with their bags of experiences with Robyn Munro, who studies politics and international relations at the University of Strathclyde coming in as a two-time junior Scottish champion in the discipline.

“I think the highlight of it all is how fast-paced this version is and regarding challenges, i think I faced a logistic issue where I had to train at a different time from my partner, Orrin [Carson]. I have quite a packed schedule for various events and it has been quite challenging but we both have experiences in these Games so we just want to go for it.”

 Power couple make strong statement for host nation

On Sunday, 12 January at the Palatazzoli curling arena, you could hear cheers and jeers from the Italian fans who were beyond themselves seeing as the local team, made up of power couple Francesco De Zanna and Giulia Zardini, beat Japan 8-4 in their second game of Day 2.

Zardini, who studies civil engineering at Pegaso Telematic University, and De Zanna, a languages and marketing student at Mercatorum University, have been curling athletes since 2010 and 2014, respectively, and have thoroughly enjoyed the journey so far.

Effective communication is key in mixed doubles, and the duo credits its success to radical honesty. Despite having only two weeks to practice together due to Zardini’s time in Canada, they believe they’ve managed to establish strong synchronisation as a team. “I check his lines and his throws, and he also offers constructive criticisms which helps us improve,” Zardini shared.

Another crucial factor for their success is that, while they are a couple, they prioritize seeing themselves as teammates first when they step onto the ice rink.

Certainly the mixed doubles is here to stay at the FISU Games and these student-athletes are determined to make history.

The  take place from 13-23 January. Watch all the competitions live on . Click on the link to find the full schedule.

Written by Esther Owusua Appiah-Fei, FISU Young Reporter, Ghana

The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.

We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.