With international curling medals more elusive for Canada than they once were, Kerri Einarson claimed bronze Sunday at the womenB次元官网网址檚 world curling championship in Prince George.
Einarson edged SwedenB次元官网网址檚 Anna Hasselborg 8-7 in an extra end to get the host country on the podium at the CN Centre.
SwitzerlandB次元官网网址檚 Silvana Tirinzoni won a record third straight world title, beating South KoreaB次元官网网址檚 EunJung Kim 7-6 for gold.
After a late-game letdown in a semifinal loss to Kim the previous evening, Einarson finished the job against Hasselborg, who won Olympic gold in 2018 and ranks No. 3 in the world.
B次元官网网址淲e came here for gold, but weB次元官网网址檙e coming home with something, so thatB次元官网网址檚 pretty special,B次元官网网址� Einarson said.
An unprecedented number of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 elite curling teams have broken up and reformed in recent weeks following last monthB次元官网网址檚 Olympic Games in Beijing, but Einarson vows her foursome out of ManitobaB次元官网网址檚 Gimli Curling Club will carry on as is.
B次元官网网址淲e are definitely staying together,B次元官网网址� the skip said. B次元官网网址淲hy break something that isnB次元官网网址檛 broken?B次元官网网址�
Einarson, third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and lead Briane Meilleur return to next yearB次元官网网址檚 national championship in Kamloops, B.C., as the Team Canada entry among provinces and territories.
Winners of three straight Canadian titles, theyB次元官网网址檒l attempt to win a fourth straight.
Einarson wasnB次元官网网址檛 able to wear the Maple Leaf in the 2020 world championship in Prince George. That event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her team went 1-5 to open last yearB次元官网网址檚 world championship in CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 curling bubble held without fans, and ultimately finished sixth.
Einarson posted a 9-3 record in the preliminary round this year to earn the third playoff seed behind Switzerland (12-0) and South Korea (9-3).
B次元官网网址淓very opportunity we get here at worlds, it almost feels a little easier,B次元官网网址� the skip said. B次元官网网址淚 know last year, we felt a lot of pressure.B次元官网网址�
Her team competed in the first world curling championship held with spectators since 2019. Attendance at the 6,000-seat venue averaged just 1,500 per draw.
The virus continued to impede the 2022 womenB次元官网网址檚 event, however. Scotland withdrew from the 13-country field on the second day because four players tested positive.
Japan played its 10th game with three players and withdrew from its last round-robin game due to COVID-19 concerns.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been amazing to be here in front of this crowd,B次元官网网址� Hasselborg said. B次元官网网址淲e have to admit itB次元官网网址檚 been weird to have an open event like this when COVID is still around us.
B次元官网网址淚 love that we have been open, but itB次元官网网址檚 tough too. If you get it, youB次元官网网址檙e out.B次元官网网址�
READ MORE:
The World Curling Federation booted Russia, the runner-up in Calgary, from the tournament because of that countryB次元官网网址檚 invasion of Ukraine last month.
B次元官网网址淚f thereB次元官网网址檚 anything I learned over the last two years, itB次元官网网址檚 perspective,B次元官网网址� Birchard said. B次元官网网址淚 think that was key after last nightB次元官网网址檚 loss coming into this game, but I think weB次元官网网址檙e just so grateful to be able to play with everything thatB次元官网网址檚 going on in the world right now.B次元官网网址�
Jennifer Jones (2018) and Rachel Homan (2017) skipped the last Canadian teams to win world championship gold in the last dozen tournaments.
Tirinzoni joined Jones and Homan in skipping their teams to unbeaten records through the round robin and the playoffs.
Bronze was CanadaB次元官网网址檚 first medal since JonesB次元官网网址檚 victory.
B次元官网网址淐anada hasnB次元官网网址檛 got a medal at the worlds in a while, so itB次元官网网址檚 really cool to get that medal for us,B次元官网网址� Meilleur said. B次元官网网址淚t was a hard field and a really hard grind of a week.B次元官网网址�
One bronze medal in team curling in the last two Winter Olympics also indicates the rest of the world has caught up in a sport where Canadians on the podium was once a regular occurrence.
Canadian teams run a domestic gauntlet of some of the worldB次元官网网址檚 top teams to wear the Maple Leaf internationally.
By contrast, Scotland hand-picks a pool of curlers from which to choose a national team.
SwedenB次元官网网址檚 Hasselborg and five-time world champion Niklas Edin are essentially full-time curlers whose teams have the full weight of their federationB次元官网网址檚 resources behind them.
B次元官网网址淚 hope we never get to the point where itB次元官网网址檚 a selection system in Canada,B次元官网网址� said EinarsonB次元官网网址檚 coach Reid Carruthers, who is a national-level curler himself.
B次元官网网址淭hat would just take away from getting to wear this logo on my chest. This is such an honour because weB次元官网网址檝e earned the right to come here.B次元官网网址�
Sandviken, Sweden is the host city of the 2023 womenB次元官网网址檚 world championship.
Brad Gushue of St. JohnB次元官网网址檚, N.L., is CanadaB次元官网网址檚 representative at the menB次元官网网址檚 world championship starting Saturday in Las Vegas.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on
