Sweden won the World Mixed Curling Championship 2023, after beating Spain in Saturday afternoon’s gold medal final by 8-2.
Sweden earned their spot in the final by beating Canada by 7-4 in Saturday morning’s semi-final. Spain had a 4-3 victory over Norway in the other semi-final.
In the gold medal game, the teams exchanged single-point scores in the first two ends.
In the third, Sweden stole a single when Spanish skip Sergio Vez wrecked on a guard on the way to the house with his final stone.
In the fourth end, Spain could have scored two points, but needed to settle for one, as Vez was heavy with his last draw attempt. The teams were tied at 2-2 at the half-time break.
Sweden started the second half of the final in an excellent manner, and put three points on the board in the fifth end.
In the sixth, Vez’s last hit-and-roll attempt to score multiple points wasn’t successful, and Sweden stole three. At this point, Sweden were leading the game by 8-2, which was enough for Spain to concede the game and settle for silver.
The Spanish team were playing their last six games of the championship with three players as their lead, Leire Otaegi needed to leave the competition earlier due to personal reasons.
Bronze for Canada
Canada took the bronze medals after a low-scoring back-and-forth game against Norway.
The teams went into the break tied at 1-1.
After a score of one in the fifth and a steal of one in the sixth, Norway were leading by two points. In the seventh end, Canada scored two to tie the game at 3-3, going into the eighth.
In the eighth end, Norway’s fourth player, Steffen Walstad was light with his last draw attempt, and Canada managed to steal a single point to win the bronze medals.
Gold medal game result: Sweden 8-2 Spain
Bronze medal game result: Norway 3-4 Canada
The medal-winning teams
The gold medal winning Swedish team: skip Johan Nygren, third Jennie Waahlin, second Fredrik Carlsen and lead Fanny Sjoeberg, supported by their coach Per Carlsen.
The silver medal winning Spanish team: skip Sergio Vez; third Oihane Otaegi, second Mikel Unanue and lead Leire Otaegi.
The bronze medal winning Canadian team: skip Felix Asselin, third Laurie St-Georges, second Emile Asselin and lead Emily Riley, supported by their coach Michel St-Georges.
All results from the championship are available here.
You can watch the video-on-demand replays of all games on the Curling Channel.
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.
