For Immediate Release
Feb. 23, 2013
Canada claims gold medal at Wheelchair Worlds
Canada’s wheelchair curlers have
struck gold in Russia.
Team Canada captured its third gold
medal in the past four world championships, beating Sweden’s Jalle Jungnell 4-3
on Saturday at the Ice Cube Curling Center in Sochi, Russia, in the final of
the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championship.
Tied 3-3 in the eighth and final
end, Canadian skip Jim Armstrong made a wonderful freeze to a Swedish rock in
the back of the four-foot with his first rock. Jungell couldn’t remove it, and
Armstrong didn’t need to throw his last rock.
“We did have our opportunities early
in the game and we just never really closed on them,” said Armstrong. “The
biggest thing in that final end was keeping that centre open so that I’d have a
shot with my last one.”
The result left gold medals around
the necks of Armstrong, third Dennis Thiessen (Sanford, Man.), second Ina
Forrest (Armstrong, B.C.), lead Sonja Gaudet (Vernon, B.C.), alternate Mark
Ideson (London, Ont.) and coach Joe Rea (Prince George, B.C.).
It was even more satisfying
considering that Canada had lost to Sweden twice earlier in the week, 8-7 in
the round robin on Wednesday, and 6-5 in the Page playoff one-two game on
Friday.
But Canada rallied to beat Patrick
McDonald of the U.S. in Friday’s semifinal to set up a third showdown with
Sweden.
“It was a great game, probably one
of the best-played wheelchair curling games ever,” said Armstrong. “It was very
entertaining, obviously very close, very exciting, and really what our sport
needs.”
Armstrong, Forrest and Gaudet all
won world titles in 2009 at Vancouver (when they beat Jungnell’s Swedes in the
final) and 2011 in the Czech Republic (there was no world championship staged
in 2010 due to it being a Paralympic year). Thiessen and Ideson were making
their international debuts for Canada.
The 2013 Wheelchair Worlds were the
first curling event staged at the Ice Cube, which will play host to the 2014
Olympic and Paralympic curling competitions.
“It speaks well of the facility,”
said Armstrong. “I really think Sochi should be proud. It’s been a tremendous
experience and I really look forward to having the opportunity to come back
here next year.”
Canada will name its wheelchair
Paralympic team later this year.
Earlier on Saturday, China’s Haitao
Wang won the bronze medal with a 6-5 win over the U.S.
Al Cameron
Director, Communication
& Media Relations | Directeur, Communication et relations avec les
médias
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