Johan Niklas Edin was born on July 6, 1985. He is a curler from Sweden. He has earned many sports honors. He is the first and only skip in World Curling Federation (WCF) history to win three Olympic medals: gold (2022), silver (2018), and bronze (2014). He is also the only curler to lead men's curling teams to eight World Men's Curling Championship gold medals (2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2026).
Edin has won the European Curling Championship eight times (2009, 2012, 2014–2017, 2019, 2025). He also earned four silver medals in those championships (2011, 2018, 2021, 2023). He is currently tied with his teammate Oskar Eriksson for first place on the WCF-recognized list of championship medals, with 38 total. He has reached the playoffs in 48 Grand Slam of Curling events. With his current teammates, Oskar Eriksson, Rasmus Wranå, and Christopher Sundgren, he won the Pinty's Cup.
In 2022, Edin and his team became the first and only men's curling team to win a fourth consecutive World Men's Curling Championship. He has been the skip of his team since 2007. His team has been ranked No. 1 on the World Curling Tour, including most of the 2017–18 season. He currently lives in Karlstad, which has been his curling home base since 2008.
Career
Niklas Edin played in up to ten different sports at the same time before he began curling. He started curling in 1999, partly inspired by the Swedish women's team led by Elisabet Gustafson, who won a bronze medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. In 2004, Edin led his team to win the World Junior Curling Championship for Sweden, defeating the team led by Stefan Rindlisbacher from Switzerland. The next year, Edin was chosen as the alternate for the Swedish team led by Nils Carlsén, which won a silver medal at the World Junior Curling Championships. In 2005, Edin led a new team to a silver medal at the European Mixed Curling Championships, playing with future teammate Sebastian Kraupp. In 2006, Edin played third for Team Carlsén and won another silver medal at the World Junior Curling Championships. The team also qualified for the 2006 World Men's Curling Championship, where they finished fifth.
Over the next two years, Edin demonstrated his skills with different teams on international competitions. In 2007, Edin led a new team at the World Junior Championships, playing with future teammates Fredrik Lindberg and Kristian Lindström, and won his third silver medal in junior championships. In 2008, Edin led another team to a bronze medal at the European Mixed Curling Championships, with Anna Hasselborg playing third. In 2007 and 2008, Edin joined Team Scotland to represent Sweden in the Continental Cup. Sweden has participated in the Cup every other year, and Edin's 2007 appearance ensured Sweden was the only European country to compete in every Continental Cup.
In the spring of 2008, Edin moved to Karlstad with Sebastian Kraupp, Fredrik Lindberg, and Viktor Kjäll to form a new team, choosing the Karlstad Curling Club as their home. The team filled the gap left by the retirement of Peja Lindholm and became known as the most likely team in Sweden to succeed internationally. In 2009, Team Edin won Sweden's Elite Series and the Swedish National Championship. They also represented Sweden at the Winter Universiade, winning a gold medal. That same season, Team Sweden, led by Mattias Mabergs, finished eighth at the 2008 European Curling Championships and lost two of three close games against Finland in the relegation challenge for the 2009 World Men's Curling Championship. No Swedish team could compete at the world championships that year.
In the 2009–2010 season, Team Edin was considered the top choice for Sweden's national team. In December 2009, they won the gold medal at the 2009 European Curling Championships, their first appearance at the championship. During the 2010 Elite Series, they lost a close final to Team Carlsén, 6–5. Team Carlsén was chosen for the 2010 World Men's Curling Championship but underperformed, losing 4–7. Team Edin was selected for the 2010 Winter Olympics, where they finished fourth, missing the medal platform after losing the bronze medal game to Switzerland. They also won the Swedish Curling Championships, securing their position over Team Carlsén.
Team Edin's 2010–11 season continued their success by winning Sweden's Elite Series championships. On the World Curling Tour, they won the Oslo Cup and reached the finals of the Baden Masters. At the 2011 World Men's Curling Championship, they won a bronze medal after failing to qualify for the playoffs at the 2010 European Curling Championships. They also reached two Grand Slam quarterfinals and the semifinals of the Perth Masters. The team became the first non-Canadian team to reach a men's Grand Slam final at the 2011 Players' Championship, losing to Team Kevin Martin.
Edin's team continued their success in the 2011–12 season, achieving their best year at the Grand Slams. They reached the playoffs in three events, including the semifinals of the Masters and Canadian Open, and the quarterfinals of the National. They defended their title at the Oslo Cup and repeated their Elite Series victory. Internationally, they won a silver medal at the 2011 European Curling Championships after losing the final to Norway's Thomas Ulsrud. Later that season, they won a bronze medal at the 2012 World Men's Curling Championship. Edin played three games despite serious injuries, requiring team changes: Sebastian Kraupp skipped the team, Fredrik Lindberg moved to third, and Oskar Eriksson played second through the bronze medal game.
The 2012–13 season was Edin's most successful up to that point. Nationally, they won a third straight Elite Series title. Internationally, they reached one Grand Slam playoff—the quarterfinals of the National—but also won their third straight Oslo Cup and the Victoria Curling Classic. Their biggest success came in international championships, winning gold at the 2012 European Curling Championships by defeating Team Ulsrud in the final. They then won the 2013 World Curling Championship, giving Edin his first world championship gold medal. This was the first time since 2004 that a Swedish men's curling team had won a world championship title.
The 2013–14 season was less successful for Team Edin, as they did not win any titles. Their best achievement was reaching the semifinals of the Shorty Jenkins Classic, where they defeated Kevin Martin in the quarterfinals. They reached the playoffs of only one Grand Slam, finishing in the quarterfinals of the Masters, Baden Masters, and Cactus Phe
Career Milestones and Records
Niklas Edin is the only skip in history to win eight gold medals at the World Men's Curling Championship. He is also the first skip to achieve this feat at four consecutive World Men's Curling Championships (2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2026). Additionally, he is the only skip in history to win three Olympic medals: a gold (2022), a silver (2018), and a bronze (2014). He is also the only skip to win both an Olympic medal and a World Men's Curling Championship title in back-to-back competitions. Currently, only two other curlers, Agnes Knochenhauer and Oskar Eriksson, have won all three Olympic medals.
Edin currently holds several records with his teammates Oskar Eriksson, Magnus Sundgren, and Niklas Wranå. This team won four gold medals between 2018 and 2022. Edin and Eriksson share the records for the most World Men's Curling Championship titles (eight) and the most European Men's Curling Championship titles (eight). They also hold the record for being the first men's curlers to hold both the World and European Curling Championship titles in four separate curling seasons (2012–2013, 2014–2015, 2017–2018, and 2025–2026). In 2019, Edin, Eriksson, and Sundgren became the first men's curlers to hold these same titles simultaneously in two separate calendar years (2015 and 2019). Edin, Eriksson, and Sundgren are also the first men's curlers in history to win four European Championship gold medals in a row (2014–2017). Edin is the only curler to compete in the Continental Cup for twelve consecutive competitions (2007–08 and 2011–2020, with the competition not held in 2009 or 2010). With Eriksson, Sundgren, and Wranå, Edin's team became the first non-Canadian men's team to win three Slams at the Grand Slam of Curling and the Pinty's Cup. The only other non-Canadian men's team to win more Slams was led by Bruce Mouat.
In 2009, Edin was inducted into the Swedish Curling Hall of Fame.
Grand Slam record
In 2016, Edin won the WFG Masters. This made him the first non-Canadian skip to win a men's Grand Slam event.