Canada's Peterman, Gallant rout Finland at world mixed doubles curling championship
Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant didn't expect any easy games at the world mixed doubles curling championship.
But a definitive 13-2 result over Finland and 9-4 victory over China grants the married couple based out of Chestermere, Alta., qualification for the competition's playoffs.
"I thought we came out pretty sharp today," Gallant told CBC Sports inside Willie O'Ree Place in Fredericton, N.B., which is hosting the tournament this week.
"We were precise. We got on to the ice pretty quickly and it helped us kind of hold an advantage right from the first end. We got a few mistakes from the Finns this morning, but I think our precise play allowed us to capitalize on a couple of their errors."
Canada scored a deuce in the first end and then stole two in each of the next three ends.
After Finland got on the board with a deuce in the fifth end, Canada slammed the door shut with five points in the sixth.
The Canadians are now 7-1 after defeating China in Wednesday's evening draw, sitting solidly in second place in Group A.
Canada broke open a close game against China with three points in the fifth end and iced the game with a steal of three in the eighth.
Scotland awaits on Thursday to round out the preliminary matches, and although both teams have qualified, the winner will confirm second place in the group.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the playoffs, which begin on Friday. The medal rounds are set for Saturday.
The Canadians sit behind Italy's Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, who have clinched a playoff spot. Undefeated Italy (8-0) climbed back from a 5-2 deficit to beat Canada 7-5 on Monday.
The Canadians have one big advantage in a deep field, where at least half a dozen teams could compete for the title: a hometown crowd. Their family members have been on hand to watch the competition all week.
It means they're able to come off the ice and hold their toddler son, Luke, who was wearing a jersey to match his parents on Wednesday morning.
"We've never played in a world championship for mixed doubles in Canada so it's really nice to have our family here supporting us, obviously our son," Peterman said. "And then just to be the hometown team at a world championship is pretty cool."
Reigning Canadian mixed doubles champions Kadriana Lott and Colton Lott were fifth at last year's worlds in Oestersund, Sweden.
Olympic qualification on the line
Combined results from this year's competition and the 2024 world playdowns will determine the seven countries that will join host Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. The two remaining spots in the 10-team field will come from the Olympic Qualifying Event in December in Kelowna, B.C.
The Canadians went into this year's world championship ranked sixth with 16 Olympic qualification points.
Some of the depth at the world championship can be traced back to the addition of mixed doubles curling to the Olympic programme in 2018. Canada's Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris won gold that year, while Morris and Rachel Homan missed the playoffs in Beijing in 2022.
"In Italy now, more or less everyone knows curling thanks to mixed doubles," said Italy's Constantini, who won the Olympic mixed doubles title in 2022 with her partner at worlds this week, Mosaner. "It really helps."
Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner of Italy celebrate with their gold medals at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. They lead the standings at the world championship for mixed doubles curling this week in New Brunswick. ()
Not only does the faster game of mixed doubles help increase the profile of the sport, but it gives top athletes a second chance to earn an Olympic medal.
"Especially for curling in Switzerland, I think it's really important to be good in both mixed doubles and team just to make it a little more popular and there is more money in the sport at the end of the day," Switzerland's Alina Pätz said in an interview.
Peterman and Gallant have already earned the right to represent Canada in mixed doubles at the Olympics, should they earn enough points this week to qualify.
Changes to the qualification process mean not only that their team has more time to prepare for the Olympics, but also that they can compete in both mixed doubles and with their four-person team, should they qualify in that discipline, too. Gallant is the second on Team Brad Jacobs, while Peterman is second on Lawes' rink.
"It makes a lot of sense and then gives you a full season to prepare for that big event," Gallant said before the world championship began.
Peterman and Gallant were both at the Olympics in 2022 on separate four-person teams. Their next goal is to get there together.
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