With the echoes diminishing from the gloriously well-received 2024 Olympic summer in Paris — and a marathon of 1,292 days to Los Angeles 2028 — it’s qualifying for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina that has now taken centre stage in the sporting world, with Feb. 6 the one-year-out anniversary.
Although better known for the Summer Games because of mild-by-Canadian weather standards, the Island has been a surprise player in the Winter Olympics because of Mount Washington and thriving local hockey and curling scenes.
There have been Island gold medallists in the last three Winter Olympics, with hockey player Jamie Benn of Central Saanich at Sochi 2014, freestyle-skier Cassie Sharpe of Comox at Pyeongchang 2018 and hockey player Micah Zandee-Hart of Saanichton at Beijing 2022.
Sharpe added a silver medal at Beijing 2022 and Victoria curlers Julie Skinner, Georgina Wheatcroft and Cheryl Noble a bronze medal at Salt Lake City 2002.
Curlers Corey Chester and Taylor Reese-Hansen, from the Victoria Curling Club, were looking to add to that history but their dream ended at the Canadian mixed-doubles Olympic qualifier in Liverpool, N.S., for the 2026 Winter Games.
The husband-and wife team of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant from Chestermere, Alta., bested a killer field — edging fellow Albertans Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher 8-7 in the final Saturday – to win the national qualifier and take the next step toward Milan-Cortina.
“We’ve dreamed of this for a long time. It’s the first step and we know we still have to earn that spot in a few months. But it’s amazing,” Peterman said afterward.
Peterman and Gallant, curling out of the Glencoe Club in Calgary, must place in the top eight at the world championship from April 26 to May 3 in Fredericton, N.B., to qualify sa国际传媒 for the 2026 Winter Olympics. There is another chance, with the final two of the 10 Olympic berths to be decided through a last-chance qualifier with the dates and venue to be announced. It would be shocking, bordering on unbelievable, if curling power sa国际传媒 didn’t earn one of the 10 spots in Milan-Cortina.
“We understand the responsibility and we wear the [Canadian] uniform with pride,” said Peterman.
“You know we’re going to give it our absolute all in Fredericton and, hopefully, in Italy.”
The Alberta residents went undefeated through the qualifier. “It wasn’t as easy as 10-0 sounds,” said Peterman. “It was a grind and we’re really proud of it. We had some really, really close games early and we were very determined this week.”
Among those close wins was an 8-7 decision over Chester and Reese-Hansen.
Gallant, a native of Prince Edward Island, is looking to return to the Winter Olympics after winning bronze with the Canadian Brad Gushue rink in men’s fours at Beijing 2022.
“Mixed doubles is really unpredictable, [but] we believe we have a good shot of representing sa国际传媒 in the Olympics in Italy,” the VCC’s Chester told the sa国际传媒, before the 16-rink qualifier, for which the talented Island rink qualified through a gruelling national playdowns process.
But the University of Victoria commerce graduate Chester, who works as a financial analyst for the sa国际传媒 government’s sport branch, and former Camosun College curling star Reese-Hansen went 2-5 at the qualifier.
John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes won gold for sa国际传媒 when mixed-doubles curling was introduced into the Winter Olympics at Pyeongchang 2018. Morris and Homan missed the Olympic podium representing sa国际传媒 in 2022 at Beijing.
Mixed doubles curling is part of the trend of pared-down versions of sports in the Olympics. In the Summer Games, that includes sevens rugby, three-on-three basketball and the upcoming sixes field-lacrosse for L.A. 2028. It is also part of the trend toward mixed-gender events which, in the Summer Olympics, includes mixed relays in swimming, track, triathlon and mixed events in badminton, archery, judo, tennis, table tennis, sailing and shooting.
