2 March 2026

Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics: Team Slovakia

As we approach the beginning of wheelchair curling at Milano Cortina 2026, we will take a look at all the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) competing. Next is Team Slovakia.

Team Slovakia will be represented by one wheelchair curling team: Team Duris (mixed team).

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Radoslav Duris may well be the most famous and most successful curler to come out of Slovakia, and he’s been there since the start.

Introduced in the mid 2000s, wheelchair curling was pushed in Slovakia through able-bodied curlers who had a passion for the sport and were enthusiastic about inclusivity. Amongst those was Duris, who was in his early 30s.

“Personally, I was drawn to curling because of its combination of strategy, precision and teamwork,” he said.

“It’s not just about strength, but especially about the mind, focus and mutual trust. That mental aspect fascinated me the most.

“From the very beginning, I felt that this sport gave me the opportunity to continuously improve while being part of a team where every stone and every decision matters.”

His love for the skill involved has made him a natural choice as national team skip — a role he has held proudly since their debut in the 2008-2009 season.

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Meet the team

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Building a team through adversity

In this season, they finished last in the qualification event for the 2009 World Wheelchair Curling Championship with no wins.

The following edition they finished sixth in qualification with three victories, before making it to the World Championship for the first time when he, Branislav Jakubec, Dusan Pitonak and Monika Kunkelova won the qualification event in 2011. They finished fourth in an impressive debut.

To get to that stage came from humble beginnings. In those early years, Slovakia did not have a curling hall, and the team had to travel to Prague in the nation of their cousins, Czechia, to train.

Fortunately, as the teams improved, so did the conditions. A new curling hall in the country eliminated the need to make a three-and-a-half-hour excursion between the capital cities.

“Those challenging beginnings taught us humility and perseverance, which I consider one of the pillars of our current success,” said Duris.

A decade of stability and trust

The wheelchair curling team are the most successful of all in Slovakia, with 10 World Wheelchair Curling Championship appearances. The best-performing non-wheelchair team is the mixed doubles duo of Daniela Matulova and Ladislav Derzsi who placed 10th in 2016, while their sole appearance in the European Curling Championships A-Division came the same year when the men finished ninth.

Duris, Pitonak and Kunkelova would be the core of the team in those early years. The first two played together in their debut season, with Kunkelova becoming part of the rink during the 2010–2011 campaign. Peter Zat’ko would join in 2015 in lieu of Jakubec, with the quartet being together for a decade before Adrian Durcek replaced Pitonak.

The skip attributes the success so far to a “combination of systematic work, team stability, and strong internal motivation”.

“When you come from a small country, you may not have the same resources as the major nations, but that makes you even more united by a common goal,” he added.

“It also plays a big role that we have known each other for many years and can function as a compact unit. In a sport like curling, team chemistry is crucial.”

Kunkelova became a key member of the team, remaining to this day as one of the two remaining players from that first World Championship rink.

“There was no big planning behind it,” she said when describing her interest in the sport.

“It was curiosity and the desire to try something new. Curling has taught me patience, strategy and trust in the team, and it has become a part of my life.”

Duris, stressed the importance of having familiar teammates: “Playing together for 15 years is fantastic.

“In sport, team stability is a huge advantage. Over time, you learn to read each other — not only in terms of the game, but also on a personal level.

“Sometimes, just a look is enough and we know what the other person is thinking. Our relationship is built on respect, open communication and trust. Today we know that we can rely on each other not only on the ice, but off it as well.”

With that in mind, Duris mentions Pitonak being a “stable pillar for many years”, praising his experience, calmness and “strong competitive spirit”. Durcek, who came in as alternate in 2022 and became part of the core team last season, received great praise from his skip too.

“Adrian represents new energy and dynamics,” he said.

“He is very goal-oriented and hard-working. The combination of experience and fresh blood is very important for the team. Every generation brings something new, and it is this balance that pushes us forward.”

Lessons and the pursuit of a medal at Milano Cortina 2026

One thing eludes the team to this day — a major medal.

And they have come close on so many occasions. Finishing fourth in 2012 was the first of many bronze medal game losses. They lost 8-5 to Finland for bronze in 2015 and 4-2 to Canada in 2025 at the World Championship. They came close to a Paralympic medal at Beijing 2022, losing out to Canada on that occasion too. These misses have hurt, but they have not broken them.

“Finishing fourth is perhaps the hardest result because you are very close but leave without a medal,” said Duris.

“However, it has taught us mental resilience. We realised that success is not only about the result, but also about the process and how you handle difficult moments.

“Each disappointment forced us to analyse details, improve our preparation, and strengthen our mental approach.

“We learned that falling down is not the end, but part of the journey.”

The team will not have to travel too far to get to the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games — a venture through neighbouring Austria to Cortina in the Dolomites. Duris called the Paralympics an “exceptional experience” and looking forward to the “strong sporting tradition” and “unique culture” of Italy.

“The Paralympics are a celebration of human determination, and that is what I value the most,” he added.

That Paralympic medal is still in the back of their minds, but there is much more to what they define as success than being on the podium.

“For me, success means leaving Milano Cortina 2026 with the feeling that we gave our maximum — physically, tactically and mentally,” said Duris.

“If we play our best curling and handle the pressure of decisive moments, I will be satisfied.

“Of course, every athlete dreams of a medal, that is natural, but true success is delivering a performance we can be proud of — and if the result comes with it, it will be a dream fulfilled.”

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Team Slovakia stats

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