Estonia's wheelchair curling duo shares summer plans before Milano Cortina 2026

When Estonia’s Katlin Riidebach and Ain Villau claimed a “surprise” mixed doubles bronze medal at the Scotland 2025 World Wheelchair Curling Championships in March, it meant much more than a piece of metal and a spot on the podium.

The pair had teamed up in December 2024 and did not expect a podium at the world stage a few months later, especially not by beating defending mixed doubles champions Republic of Korea in the bronze medal match.

“It is a very big thing for us and for Estonian Para sport because it has been a very long time that we have ever won a World Championships medal, in summer or winter sports,” Riidebach said.

“When I think back at it, I still go, ‘did we really make it?’ It wasn’t very obvious that we were going to win because there were very strong teams."

Medallists in the making

Riidebach said her preparations for the World Championships had started in September last year, with some changes in her technique as well as in her thinking. 

“I started to listen to sport-psychological podcasts. Sometimes we forget that the mental part is also very important because in training, you do things differently. You are calm, with no stress. In matches you often overthink things,” the 43-year-old athlete said.

“In every game that I played at the World Championships, I was like ‘I trust myself, if I make a mistake, it is OK’. As a teammate, I have too many emotions, and Ain is very calm and positive. We are like opposites, but that is also how we complete each other.”

The new-found calm however earned the Estonian duo the bronze at the World Championships, a tournament that contributed to the qualification for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. The wheelchair curling mixed doubles competition will be featured for the first time at the Paralympic Winter Games, with eight teams gunning for the podium.

In Scotland, Riidebach and Villau capped a successful campaign with a 9-5 win over Korea’s Kim Hyemin and Jeong Junho 9-5 in the bronze medal match.

“We had always lost to Korea, because it is a big country and they’ve got the opportunity to choose the people for the team whereas in Estonia, at the moment we only have three people who play wheelchair curling.”

“I was quite surprised that we were working so great together. I don’t know how we did it but maybe the stars in that moment were in the right places.”

Summer of calm

While the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games open in just over six months, Riidebach, who made her Paralympic debut at Beijing 2022, says she tries not to focus too much on what it means to return to the Games.

“I know what I want to achieve, what we want to achieve, but I never like to say it out loud, because it’s like you’re putting so much pressure on you,” she said.

“Every team goes to the Paralympics to win. But at this point in the summer, I try not to think too much about it because if you think too hard about it, you’re going to be stressed about it and when the time comes closer you could already be tired of it.”

Instead, Riidebach said she is trying to enjoy the summer, going to the gym, listening to podcasts and music, not focusing too much on the fact that she is preparing for what could be the one of the most important competitions of her life.

“I’m not thinking that I’m doing it for the Paralympics. In my mind I’m doing it for myself, to be healthy and physically in the best shape,” she said.

“I consciously cool myself down to not put too much pressure on me. I very often get reminded of it, people often say, ‘No pressure at all, but you know what we want from you, right?’ Everyone wants to win a gold medal, but I’m not trying to think about it, even though I have to say that I do it every day.”

The wheelchair curling training starts in August when the ice is open. That will be the first time the pair, who live in different cities in Estonia, see each other since May. They then plan to continue as before towards Milano Cortina 2026, avoiding making any big adjustments of their winning ways.

“We made so many changes before the World Championships, and I think that we are going to stay with that and not overdo things because six months isn’t a very long time and your body maybe doesn’t adjust with the changes,” Riidebach said.

“We are not going to go to that many tournaments because we are holding it back. We will just do our best in practice and the few tournaments that we are going to play.”

Step toward the Paralympic Winter Games

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will take place from 6–15 March and feature six Para sports: Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard, and wheelchair curling.

For Villau, the bronze medal at the World Championships was just a step on the way towards Paralympic glory.

“I’m very happy and proud about the third place, but since it's only a bronze medal, it's like a stage result in rally racing,” the 54-year-old athlete said. “Now comes more testing, adjustments, training, and the next stage awaits, and so it goes on until we get a victorious finish.”

He made some adjustments in his equipment ahead of the World Championships, including changing his stick to one that was easier for Riidebach to see on the ice. He also got a new wheelchair holder that he will use when delivering stones.

“This new support device has improved my balance and prevents me from falling out of the wheelchair during throws, making my delivery more accurate and stable,” Villau said.

With no ice rink training sessions during the summer, Villau said he has been rollerblading and doing physical preparation.

“We’re also working on mental training. I’m also taking time to rest and enjoy other hobbies, such as going fishing,” he said.

Counting down to Milano Cortina 2026

When asked about his expectations at Milano Cortina 2026, Villau does not shy away from thoughts about his Paralympic debut. At Beijing 2022, he was part of the coaching staff as Riidebach and Estonia finished in 10th place of 11 in the mixed team event.

“For Milano Cortina 2026, I expect a very good game from myself, a very good game from Katlin, a very good game from the whole team, great work from our support staff – and of course, some excellent victories.”

Riidebach said, “I’m looking forward to this very much but I’m trying to not be too excited. I’m staying humble, without too many big words, but of course we want to win. Everyone’s goal is to make the perfect performance. Why would we do sports at all if not to make it to the top?”

Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games  

Milano Cortina 2026, which takes place from 6-15 March 2026, is set to be the most beautiful Paralympic Winter Games yet. Ticket prices start at EUR 10 for children under 14, with approximately 89 per cent of the tickets available for EUR 35 or less.

For more information, please visit tickets.milanocortina2026.org