Team Canada rallies to play for gold at 2026 Paralympic Games

CORTINA d’AMPEZZO, Italy — Canada’s wheelchair curling team will be playing for gold on Saturday at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games after a dramatic 8-7 victory in Friday morning’s semifinal game.

The Canadians headed into the eighth end down by two and without the hammer, a situation they had seen before this week, and they couldn’t have looked calmer on the ice. Skip Mark Ideson (London, Ont.); vice-skip/third Jon Thurston (Dunsford, Ont.); second Ina Forrest (Spallumcheen, B.C.); and lead Collinda Joseph (Ottawa) all delivered in the last end to claw their way to another victory.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be in a gold-medal game, and to have the win happen the way that it did was how our week has gone,” said Joseph. “This has been a theme of the week. It just goes to show you our tenacity and our resilience in that last end.”

The Koreans came into the first half of Friday morning’s game ready to outplay the Canadians, who struggled with their draw weight and figuring out the ice early.

A steal of two by Team South Korea in the third end was a result of a few uncharacteristic mistakes from Canada, but a glimmer of hope returned in the fourth end. Facing two, Ideson’s last rock squeezed through a tight port to take out the opposing stone and save the end for one point.

While the game was all tied up again after the fifth end, the sixth end saw lots of trouble for the Canadians. Korean last-rock thrower Hyeon Chul Lee made a fantastic hit and roll to clear two opposing stones and score three.

Although the Canadians settled for a single in the seventh end, the game was far from over.

“We know what we can do, and we have the skill on this team to be able to do it,” said Joseph about heading into the eighth end. “Being able to make calls and have players execute them is the key, and I think all through the lineup, we have that ability.”

And execute is exactly what Team Canada did. After two expertly placed guards by Joseph, Forrest navigated around them to draw both of her stones behind them in the rings. Despite the Koreans fighting back, Thurston drew right under cover for his first stone and used his second stone to guard it.

The moment of the game came with Ideson’s last rock against a winding down clock—a hit and roll to the button to lay three. The pressure was on for South Korea to remove at least one to settle for an extra end. With Lee’s takeout going just wide of the Canadian pileup, Canada secured the victory and punched its ticket to the gold-medal game with a steal of three.

“You count on the skip making those final shots,” said Forrest. “In the sixth end, [Ideson] just didn’t quite make it, so you knew he was going to be very focused. I was sure he was going to do it.”

The loud response from the Canadian section at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium filled the building. The emotions that followed that last rock were at an all-time high, and friends and family of the athletes and staff were sure to make their Canadian pride known.

“They’re in every game, every shot, every moment, right along with us,” said Forrest. “They’re playing the game right alongside us. It’s beautiful.”

Team Canada and their contingent of fans will return Saturday for the gold-medal game against Team China at 10:05 a.m. (all times Eastern) in a rematch of the 2022, 2018, and 2014 Paralympic Games semifinals.

Team Canada also includes fifth Gilbert Dash (Kipling, Sask.); coaches Mick Lizmore and Dana Ferguson; team leader Kyle Paquette; team physiotherapist Sari Shatil; team physician Dr. Steven Macaluso; performance science lead Kyle Turcotte; and family and friends coordinator Wendy Morgan.

Team South Korea and Team Sweden will meet in the bronze-medal game on Friday at 1:35 p.m.

For live scoring, team lineups, and standings, CLICK HERE.

All of Canada’s games will be broadcast on a variety of platforms by CBC, the official Paralympic rights-holder in Canada. CLICK HERE for the CBC broadcast schedule.

This story will be posted in French as soon as possible at https://www.curling.ca/fr/nouvelles-media/