COMING HOME WITH A WIN: E.C. High Schooler Earns Bronze at Youth Olympics
local Benji Paral and mixed doubles partner Ella Wendling earn bronze for curling
V1 Staff |
Eau Claire Memorial High School sophomore Benji Paral and his mixed doubles curling partner, Ella Wendling of Wausau, earned their place on the medal stand for Team USA with a bronze medal at the Youth Olympic Games in South Korea.
The duo had a 6-1 record in the games, and their win versus Sweden in the mixed doubles semifinals secured the bronze at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon Province, South Korea. Denmark took home silver while Great Britain earned the gold for mixed doubles curling, World Curling announced Feb. 1.
Wendling, a high school junior from Wausau, and Paral, an Eau Claire native and member of the Eau Claire Curling Club, qualified for the Winter Youth Olympic Games back in November after numerous tournament wins.
The duo competed on the same ice where the U.S. men’s team won a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang back in 2018.
“We hear stories coming out of here,” Paral said in an interview from the Team USA website. “We get to see all of our inspirational athletes that have curled here. We’ve heard great things from them and the venue has been amazing. It’s great ice to curl on.”
View clips from the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games online.
