By Hritika Sharma
BEIJING (Reuters) – With the exception of Canada’s ice hockey teams, no competitors from the country are under more pressure to bring home Olympic gold than its curlers.
Canadian curling teams already have the weight of history on their shoulders, with the country being the most successful in Games history with six golds and 11 medals overall, but there is an added layer of expectation this time in Beijing.
John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes won the inaugural mixed doubles gold in 2018 but both the men’s and women’s teams failed to medal for the first time after finishing fourth and sixth in Pyeongchang.
Canada have turned to veteran skips Brad Gushue, who led his rink to gold at the 2006 Games in Turin, and Sochi 2014 champion Jennifer Jones to reverse their fortunes.
“We used to think if we just turned up and played okay then we’d make the play-offs, but now every game is tough,” said Gushue, who is returning to the Olympic stage after a 16-year absence.
“We know we are a good championship team but the field is so strong,” the 41-year-old added.
Canada’s redemption arc suffered a hammer blow even before Jones and Gushue took to the ice.
Morris and Rachel Homan missed the mixed doubles play-offs by millimetres on Monday, leaving the nation long synonymous with curling dominance without a reigning Olympic champion.
“Our goal is to find a way to make sure we are on the top of the podium,” said Jones, 47, who is back after missing qualification for Pyeongchang.
Jones and Gushue will have to sweep past an extremely competitive field, which includes all of the men’s and women’s medal winners from 2018, to restore Canadian pride and return the sport’s traditional heavyweights back to the top.
Sweden’s Niklas Edin will look to climb the Olympic podium steps after winning bronze in 2014 and silver in 2018, where U.S. skip John Shuster’s rink stunned them and the world for a historic gold four years ago.
Reigning women’s champions Sweden, led by Anna Hasselborg, are primed to repeat their success while Silvana Tirinzoni and her Swiss starting four will be eager to convert recent world championship dominance into Olympic glory.
The first round of the men’s round-robin matches will be played later on Wednesday, with the women’s competition starting on Thursday.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
