Joël Thierry Retornaz (born 30 September 1983 in Chêne-Bougeries, Genève, Switzerland) is an Italian curler from Cembra. He was the skip of the Italian men's Olympic curling team in 2006,[2] 2018, and 2022.
| Joël Retornaz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joël Thierry Retornaz 30 September 1983 |
| Team | |
| Curling club | Trentino Curling Cembra, Cembra[1] |
| Skip | Joël Retornaz |
| Third | Amos Mosaner |
| Second | Sebastiano Arman |
| Lead | Mattia Giovanella |
| Alternate | Francesco De Zanna |
Curling career  | |
| Member Association |  Italy |
| World Championship appearances | 10 (2005, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) |
| European Championship appearances | 15 (2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Olympic appearances | 3 (2006, 2018, 2022) |
| Grand Slam victories | 4 (2022 Masters, 2023 Tour Challenge, 2023 National, 2023 Masters) |
Medal record | |
Retornaz gained sudden renown in Italy during the 2006 Winter Olympics. Although Italy has little curling tradition, and the sport was practiced only by a few hundred amateurs, Retornaz led the semi-professional Italian team to several unexpected victories over strong teams, including Canada.[2] This breakthrough inspired a sudden national curiosity for curling, previously almost unknown in Italy.[3]
Retornaz returned to the Olympics in 2018, skipping the Italians again while throwing third rocks. The team finished 9th with a 3-6 record. The team finished 3–6 again at the 2022 Olympics, placing 9th again.
Retornaz has represented Italy in ten World Curling Championships, in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 skipping the team in each event except 2005. They have twice won bronze medals at the 2022 and 2024 World Men's Curling Championship, Italy's first medals at the curling worlds of either gender.
Retornaz has competed for Italy in 15 European Curling Championships (as of 2023), finally winning a bronze medal in his 11th try in 2018, skipping the rink of Amos Mosaner, Sebastiano Arman, Simone Gonin and Fabio Ribotta. Retornaz won a second bronze in 2021 and a third in 2022.
Personal life edit
In addition to curling, Retornaz breeds and races quarter horses. He is employed as a businessman.[4] He is currently married and lives in Lugano, Switzerland.[5]
Grand Slam record edit
Retornaz won Italy's first Grand Slam championship at the 2022 Masters.
| Key | |
|---|---|
| C | Champion |
| F | Lost in Final |
| SF | Lost in Semifinal |
| QF | Lost in Quarterfinals |
| R16 | Lost in the round of 16 |
| Q | Did not advance to playoffs |
| T2 | Played in Tier 2 event |
| DNP | Did not participate in event |
| N/A | Not a Grand Slam event that season |
| Event | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour Challenge | N/A | QF | C |
| The National | DNP | Q | C |
| Masters | DNP | C | C |
| Canadian Open | N/A | SF | QF |
| Players' | Q | SF | F |
| Champions Cup | DNP | Q | N/A |
References edit
- ^ "Campionato Assoluto Maschile Anno sportivo 2023-2024". Italian Ice Sports Federation (in Italian). Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Joël Retornaz". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016.
- ^ "Gli azzurri del curling e lo spot in TV". repubblica.it.
- ^ "2015 World Men's Curling - Eye Opener - Issue 4" (PDF). Curling Canada. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "2021 BKT Tires-OK Tires World Men's Curling Championship Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
External links edit
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