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Canada’s wheelchair curling team improved to 8-0 and clinched the top playoff seed at the Milano-Cortina Paralympics with a 6-3 win over Korea on Thursday.
Canada’s rink of Mark Ideson, Jon Thurston, Ina Forrest, Collinda Joseph and alternate Gilbert Dash, jumped out to a 4-1 edge after four ends before the Koreans closed the gap to a one-point deficit following the sixth.
But Canada scored a point in each of the final two ends to secure the win at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
Canadian third Jon Thurston delivered a clutch, game-saving draw in the final end to neutralize a three-stone threat.
While the Canadian squad had already locked up a semifinal spot, Thursday’s win means they will face the fourth seed.
Canada’s wheelchair curling rink beat South Korea 6-3, and locked up the top spot in the Milano-Cortina Paralympic round robin by improving their record to 8-0, with one draw remaining against the United States.
Canada is set to face the United States (3-5) in the round-robin finale on Thursday at 1:35 p.m. ET.
Two-time defending champion China is in second place at 7-1, with its lone loss coming to Canada on Tuesday. The Canadians secured their playoff spot later that day by defeating 2022 Paralympic silver medallists Sweden to move to 6-0.
Canada, ranked second in the world behind China, has reached the wheelchair curling podium at every Paralympics since the sport’s addition in 2006. It won the first three gold medals and took bronze at the last two editions.
Gosselin earns 4th top-10 finish
Earlier Thursday, Canada’s Michaela Gosselin skied to her fourth top-10 finish in as many events at Milano Cortina, placing eighth in the standing giant slalom.
The Collingwood, Ont., native clocked a total time of two minutes 38.08 seconds across her two runs at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Sweden’s Ebba Aarsjoe (2:22.42) captured her third gold of Milano Cortina. Russia’s Varvara Voronchikhina earned silver in 2:25.26 and France’s Aurélie Richard took bronze in 2:27.04.
Florence Carrier, of Magog, Que., placed 13th in the event while making her Paralympic debut. The 18-year-old is Canada’s youngest athlete at these Games.
The 25-year-old Gosselin still has the slalom to come on Saturday. She finished fifth in the downhill, ninth in the super-G and seventh in the alpine combined.
Canada has 10 medals through six days of competition in Italy — one gold, three silver, six bronze. The full medal table is available here.
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