Men’s champion Hoestmaelingen inspired by curling family

The curling venue at Pala Tazzoli got loud one last time on Thursday, 23 January as the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games four-person competition came to an end.

In the women’s final held in the morning, Japan scored two with hammer in the extra end to edge Korea 7-5.

A few hours later, Norway’s men outscored the USA 5-0 over the last three ends to capture gold with an 8-4 triumph.

Tough start

Both men’s finalists had finished the preliminary round with 8-1 records but Norway earned first place in the standings thanks to a 4-3 head-to-head win in the first draw of the tournament, on 15 January.

Led by skip Lukas Hoestmaelingen, the Norwegians started the title match rather cautiously and fell into a 0 – 2 deficit after the first end. “We had a bit of trouble with the ice at the start as it was a bit slower than in previous games. Then there were the nerves, which didn’t make it any easier to get used to the new ice as quickly as possible,” Hoestmaelingen analysed immediately after the duel.

By the third end, the eventual victors had the ice under control and took the lead with a score of three. The Americans responded with back-to-back singles, at which point Norway shifted to the next gear en route to victory.

Inspired by father and godfather

The newly-crowned FISU Games men’s champions had already claimed gold at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Finland. “We’ve been playing together as a team for eight years. This year we set ourselves the goal of winning the gold medal here in Torino. It’s unbelievable that we’ve actually done it now,” said the winning skip with a big grin on his face.

Hoestmaelingen, who studies at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences in Lillehammer, was born with curling genes. “My father Johan and my godfather, Thomas Ulsrud, were also curlers. They inspired me to pursue a career in this sport myself,” said the 21-year-old proudly. “I and all my teammates have the family here as support. That has helped enormously and now it’s even nicer to be able to share this moment with them.”

Thomas Ulsrud, who passed away in 2022 after a battle with cancer, was one of the most decorated curlers in Norway’s history. A 14-time national champion, 2014 world champion and 2010 Olympic silver medallist, he was posthumousely inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame in 2024.

For his part, Johan Hoestmaelingen captured four Norwegian championships over his distinguished career.

The Torino 2025 FISU World University Games took place from 13-23 January. Watch all the replays on fisu.tv.

Written by Elena Häfliger, FISU Young Reporter, Switzerland

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.

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