Winter Olympics 2026: Pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner
The personal pride in their achievement, and the fans turning up to support them despite their opening loss, speaks a little to the journey Kaldvee and Lill have been on to get themselves to these Games.
The Estonians first started their Olympic bid at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in 2016, with an eye on PyeongChang 2018.
The event then was open entry, but they came up short of the goal.
Years of heartbreak and shortcomings followed, with the duo travelling to a further seven world championships with the mind of one day landing at the Olympics.
It wasn’t until 2024 that they finally had their breakthrough moment, finishing the world championships that year in second place, putting them in a strong position to claim a direct qualification spot a year later in Fredericton.
Now, finally here, Lill and Kaldvee are soaking up whatever they can of their experience.
The setting of the Olympic Village has been one of the highlights so far for the new Olympians, with the “epic” mountain views cradling the accommodation particularly capturing the pair’s imaginations.
But perhaps their clearest observation has been on the Italian culinary experience.
“Well, the pizza is there at breakfast, at the lunch, and then at the dinner, so that’s a new thing,” Kaldvee said of her welcome to Italy, as Lill laughed along.
He then was quick to add, “And pasta as well!”
One of the many strong pairings in the mixed doubles event, the Estonians will have further opportunity to enjoy the dishes on offer, and their curling with the tournament’s round robin element continuing on.
If they can finish in the top four after all those games are played, the chance to do something historic again lies in wait.
