It’s a story that has played out many times for Canada’s men’s curling team since its last world title.
A trip to the final, and a loss to Niklas Edin.
Edin won his seventh world title Sunday, a record for a skip, by leading Sweden to a close 6-5 win over Canada’s Brad Gushue and his team from St. John’s in the final of this year’s world men’s curling championship in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
“It feels indescribable, and it feels so good after this week,” said Edin, who went 11-1 in the round-robin before winning both his playoff matches. “It felt like we played so well the whole week, obviously it was going to be a tough one [in the final].”
Canada won its last world title in 2017 when Gushue beat Edin 4-2 in the final in Edmonton.
Edin has won five of the last six world championships since then — there was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — with four of those victories coming over Canadian skips. Three have come against Gushue, with the other at the expense of Kevin Koe in 2019.
WATCH | Gushue picks up 3rd consecutive world silver medal:
Gushue’s Canadian rink settles for 3rd straight world silver medal as Sweden’s Edin claims 7th world title
17 hours ago
Duration 2:54
Swedish skip Niklas Edin drew to the four-foot ring in the 10th and final end to beat Canadian counterpart Brad Gushue 6-5 in the gold-medal game Sunday at the world men’s curling championship in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
Gushue has now settled for silver in four of the six tournaments since his championship, including the last three. In addition to his three losses to Edin, he was defeated 9-3 by Scotland’s Bruce Mouat in last year’s final in Ottawa.
“For the fourth time, silver sucks,” Gushue said. “To be second in the world, we have to be proud of what we did, but it’s just disappointing.
“That’s four [final losses] in a row for me and I’m sure at some point down the road I’ll appreciate it more than I do now, but right now it’s tough to take.”
The teams entered the last end tied 5-5, with Edin having the last shot.
He made it count, scoring on a tough draw to give him the record-setting title.
“We fought, made a lot of shots and we forced them to play a very, very difficult shot,” Gushue said. “I think that’s a shot you probably miss more than you make, to be honest. Credit to him, he made a great shot and no better way for him to win a world championship, but it kind of sucks for us.”
WATCH | Canada rolls to semifinal victory over Scotland on Saturday:
Brad Gushue’s Canadian rink routs Scotland to advance to gold-medal draw at curling worlds
2 days ago
Duration 3:05
Brad Gushue’s rink out of St. John’s stole three points in the sixth end, and scored another triple in the eighth end, on the way to a 9-4 semifinal victory over Scotland’s Bruce Mouat. With the victory, Canada advances to Sunday’s gold-medal draw at the world men’s curling championship in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
Sweden got out to an early lead with two points in the second end and a steal of one in the third.
Canada fought back, and its two-point ninth end set the stage for the dramatic 10th.
“When we were down 3-0, and you would have told me that we’d give them that shot to win, I think we probably would have taken it, to be quite honest,” Gushue said.
Canada, which also had second E.J. Harnden and lead Geoff Walker on its roster, was looking to sweep the men’s and curling titles after Ottawa’s Rachel Homan won the women’s championship last month in Sydney, N.S.
The last time Canada pulled off that feat was also 2017, when Homan won the women’s championship alongside Gushue’s title.
In the bronze-medal game for this year’s tournament, Italy’s Joel Retornaz scored three in the ninth end and stole one in the 10th in a 7-6 comeback win over Scotland.
In Sunday’s bronze-medal contest, Italy earned a come-from-behind 7-6 victory over Scotland. (X/@worldcurling)
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
