Duluth Native Chris Plys to Pull Double Duty in Curling at 2022 Winter Olympics

Plys is set to play in at least 18 matches in 15 days, and that's not counting if both of his teams make it to the medal round.

EVELETH, Minn. – Four years ago, Chris Plys was sitting at home watching his friends Team Shuster win a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. A few months later while biking on the lakewalk, he received a phone call from a member of that team, Matt Hamilton, asking if Plys would be interested in joining the team. I’m sure you can guess what his answer was as the Duluth native in now en route to Beijing.

Plys is no stranger to the Olympics, serving as an alternate during Team USA’s run in the 2010 Games in Vancouver. At that time, he subbed in for a struggling John Shuster and at 22, Plys became the youngest male curler in the history of the Olympics. And that’s the kind of trust the team has in Plys.

“I figured there was a couple other guys that might of been on their list. It was cool. Me and Matt had talked a lot about wanting to play with each other again as our careers moved on. Getting that opportunity to go back and have a chance to compete for something that we had talked about for a long time was pretty special,” said Plys.

And that won’t be Plys’s only chance to bring home a medal as he will be teaming up with Vicky Persinger in the mixed doubles competition as well.

“I’ll probably be the busiest person in Beijing. But I’m excited for the challenge. I’ve waited a long time. I’ve lost a lot of finals to have the chance at one Olympics. So getting to compete at both in the same year, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Plys said.

Plys is set to play in at least 18 matches in 15 days, and that’s not counting if both of his teams make it to the medal round.