Australia received its first-ever world championship medal within the sport of curling in an historic second on Sunday — however a slim defeat in an earlier match means the duo are but to e-book their place within the 2026 Winter Olympics, leaving them with trigger for concern.
Beijing 2022 Olympians Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt received the bronze-medal match within the combined doubles competitors on the world championships in Canada, trumping a pair from Estonia in a 9-2 drubbing in Fredericton in Canada’s east.
Nonetheless, whether or not the duo will compete on the Olympics in Italy subsequent February stays to be seen after they misplaced to Scotland 9-6 in a semi-final.
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They may depart Canada thrilled with creating historical past, however ruing that they did not safe Olympic qualification.
“Since 2018 we now have constructed and constructed 12 months in, 12 months out, bought to the 2022 Olympics and that was a unbelievable feeling, after which this 12 months we now have had near 11 podiums,” Hewitt mentioned.
Australia’s Tahli Gill in motion within the bronze-medal match of the combined doubles competitors. Chris Hocking/OWIA
“It is spectacular and I’m happy with what we now have executed.
“We’ve got come up somewhat bit brief for direct Olympic qualification which is bittersweet, however nonetheless getting the bronze, [we] cannot be too upset with that.”
Ten groups will contest the combined doubles competitors at Milano-Cortina 2026, together with the eight highest-ranked nations based on factors earned on the 2024 and 2025 world championships.
Australia’s Gill and Hewitt will intention to snap up one of many two remaining spots at an Olympic qualification occasion in December, to be held in Kelowna in Canada’s south.
Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt pictured after profitable world championship bronze. Chris Hocking/OWIA
They defeated eight nations at Canada’s world championships, beating the Czech Republic, Estonia, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the USA, and solely misplaced twice, to Japan and Scotland.
“It is big for us,” Gill mentioned of the historic second.
“We’ve got labored actually onerous for this second, and like Dean mentioned it is a bittersweet feeling, however [it] undoubtedly offers us loads of confidence transferring ahead and the momentum is not going to cease right here.”
