Arkansas watch shop owner wins bronze metal with Swiss curling team

NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Dominik Maerki of Fayetteville practices curling Thursday Jan. 25, 2018 at the Jones Center in Springdale. Maerki is a member of the Swiss curling team and will travel to the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Dominik Maerki of Fayetteville practices curling Thursday Jan. 25, 2018 at the Jones Center in Springdale. Maerki is a member of the Swiss curling team and will travel to the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

A Switzerland native who lives in Arkansas claimed a bronze medal in curling at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang on Friday.

Dominik Maerki, 27, has been a curler since age 6 and was on a Swiss team that nearly made the 2014 winter games but fell short, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported.

Soon after, Maerki met his wife, a Fayetteville native, at a Miami nightclub, then followed her home to Arkansas and opened a shop where he makes and repair watches, according to the newspaper.

He played friendly curling games at the Jones Center in Springdale before he was asked to rejoin his old team in the summer of 2017, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

The team lost to Sweden but went on to edge out Canada, the defending world champions in the sport, by a score of 7 to 5 Friday for a spot on the podium.

Upcoming Events