BEIJING 鈥� sa国际传媒鈥檚 wheelchair curlers are in the playoffs of the Beijing Paralympics.
The Canadians advanced to the semifinals with a come-from-behind win over Norway on Thursday, finishing with a 7-3 record and a guaranteed spot in the top four. Skip Mark Ideson was pleased to lock up a playoff berth, even as his team was unsure of who it would play next.
鈥淚鈥檓 feeling some relief,鈥� said Canadian skip Mark Ideson. 鈥淭o get through the round robin and to get our spot in the playoffs 鈥� it鈥檚 a relief.鈥�
sa国际传媒 had to wait to learn who its semifinal opponent would be, with the final standings being settled late on Thursday, after the Canadians had returned to the athletes' village.
鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely going to prioritize rest and recovery,鈥� said Ideson before the standings were finalized. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a long week, with 10 games in a row 鈥� a little rest wouldn鈥檛 hurt.鈥�
Slovakia was the last playoff entry, joining China, Sweden, and sa国际传媒 in the semis. The Canadians will play China on Friday.
鈥淚 think we thought we should be a playoff team, so it鈥檚 great that we officially are,鈥� said Ina Forrest, third for Team sa国际传媒. 鈥淚 think we just go forward playing the same no matter who we play 鈥� treating every shot like it matters, and do your best on every single one. We don鈥檛 ever quit, so we鈥檙e always going to be there.鈥�
Ideson agreed with his teammate that if the Canadians stick to their game plan they will come home with a medal.
"All of the qualified teams will be tough to play against, so it doesn't really matter who we end up playing," he said. "We're just excited to get out there and play.聽
"We're going to stick to our process, and let the chips fall where they may."
The Canadians were trailing by three with three ends to play in their final round-robin match. sa国际传媒 scored two, bringing the Norwegians within one.聽
A hit and roll by sa国际传媒鈥檚 Jon Thurston forced Norway to one in the seventh, meaning sa国际传媒 would play the eighth down two, with the hammer.聽
A perfect end by the Canadians and a costly miss from Norway left sa国际传媒 sitting three with two rocks to come.聽
Norwegian skip Jostein Stordahl attempted a freeze, but left enough room that a well-placed Canadian takeout could remove it, and win the game.
Thurston connected on the takeout and sa国际传媒 scored three and completed the comeback win, 7-6.
鈥淚 just stuck to my process. I really wanted to confirm the weight and the path,鈥� said Thurston, who throws fourth stones for sa国际传媒. 鈥淲e talked it out so I was clear on what I was trying to do. I threw it nice and positive, and we got the result we wanted.鈥�
Also on Thursday, Brian Rowland of Merrickville, Ont., finished 12th in men鈥檚 sitting giant slalom.聽
Alexis Guimond of Gatineau, Que., a bronze medallist in the super-G, did not finish nor did Logan Leach of Lumby, sa国际传媒, and guide Julien Petit in their respective categories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2022.
The Canadian Press
