Joël Thierry Retornaz (born 30 September 1983 in
Chêne-Bougeries
Chêne-Bougeries is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland.
History
Chêne-Bougeries is first mentioned in 1270 as ''Quercus''. In 1801 it was mentioned as ''Chêne-les-Bougeries''.
Chêne-Bougeries was inhabited for most of its his ...
,
Genève,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
) is an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
curler from
Cembra
Cembra was a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about northeast of Trento. On 1 January 2016 it was merged with Lisignago to form a new municipality, Cembra Lisignago
Cem ...
. He was the skip of the Italian men's Olympic curling team in 2006,
2018, and 2022.
Retornaz gained sudden renown in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
during the
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...
. 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
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
This breakthrough inspired a sudden national curiosity for
curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide #Curling stone, stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take t ...
, previously almost unknown in Italy.
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 eleven
World Curling Championships
The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and Doubles curling, mixed doubles championships, as ...
, in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 skipping the team in each event except 2005. They have twice won bronze medals at the
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
and
2024 World Men's Curling Championship, Italy's first medals at the curling worlds of either gender.
Retornaz has competed for Italy in 16
European Curling Championships
The European Curling Championships are annual curling tournaments held in Europe between various European nations. The European Curling Championships are usually held in early to mid December. The tournament also acts as a qualifier for the Worl ...
(as of 2024), finally winning a bronze medal in his 11th try in 2018,
skip
Skip or Skips may refer to:
Acronyms
* SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene
* Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol
* SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aiding ...
ping 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
In addition to curling, Retornaz breeds and races
quarter horses
The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to . ...
. He is employed as a businessman. He is currently married and lives in
Lugano
Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...
,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.
Grand Slam record
Retornaz won Italy's first Grand Slam championship at the
2022 Masters.
References
External links
*
*
*
Joel Thierry Retornazat the
Italian Ice Sports Federation
Joel Retornazat the
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics (archived)
*
1983 births
Living people
Italian male curlers
Italian people of Swiss descent
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Olympic curlers for Italy
Curlers at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Curlers at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Curlers at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Sportspeople from the canton of Geneva
Sportspeople from Trentino
Sportspeople from Lugano
21st-century Italian sportsmen
{{Italy-curling-bio-stub