Rich Ruohonen threw two stones Thursday at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium and became the oldest American to compete in a Winter Olympics. At 54, he shattered a 94-year-old record previously held by figure skater Joseph Savage, who was 52 at the 1932 Lake Placid Games.
This was Chris Ruohonen’s first Olympic appearance after nearly 40 years of trying to qualify. The Brooklyn Park native first pursued the Olympics in 1988, when curling was a demonstration sport at the Calgary Winter Olympics.
From 2006 to 2022, he competed in five straight U.S. Olympic trials. He finished second in 2018. Each time, teams skipped by John Shuster earned the Olympic spot, leaving Ruohonen just short.
Ruohonen has won two U.S. national titles and six silver medals at nationals. A personal injury lawyer by profession, he also played with former NFL player Jared Allen during the 2023–24 curling season. Last year, he joined a team skipped by 24-year-old Danny Casper as a substitute when Casper was sidelined with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Ruohonen entered the game at the start of the 8th end as an alternate for Team USA at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. He threw two stones, helping the U.S. score one point before they ultimately conceded the match 8–3 to Switzerland.
"It was an awesome moment for me even in a loss," Ruohonen said after making history. "I can't believe the dream came true. My family was there, and they were screaming and yelling."
Team USA will continue round-robin play through Feb. 19, with upcoming games against Sweden, Canada and other top teams.
Ruohonen is the alternate behind Casper, Luc Violette, Ben Richardson and Aidan Oldenburg, so his playing time is unclear. Still, he reached his ultimate goal by finally competing on Olympic ice and representing the United States after decades of effort.