Team Canada arrived at the 2024 World Wheelchair Curling Championship venue in Gangneung, South Korea, energized by the kind of determination and optimism one would expect of these top-quality athletes.
Twelve countries – Canada and host South Korea along with China, Czechia, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden and the U.S took part in this year’s Worlds.
Team Canada, once again led by skip Mark Ideson, won silver last year, and was looking to ascend to the podium for the third time in four years with Ideson at the helm for a fifth straight Worlds.
Canada opened with a win against Slovakia in the preliminary round, with Ideson, from London, Ont., shooting first followed by Gil Dash of Wolseley, Sask., Ina Forrest of Spallumcheen, B.C., and fourth Jon Thurston of Dunsford, Ont. Chrissy Molnar (Trent Lakes, Ont.) was the fifth.
Canada kept that initial momentum going, winning their first three games, and demonstrated their skill and tenacity in the games which followed. China emerged victorious in a hard-fought game four, however Canada was back with a win in game five against Estonia. And although the team sustained back-to-back losses in games six and seven, they came roaring back, winning the next four games and earning their place in the Semi-Final against Team Norway.
That Semi-Final Game was a hard-fought battle, with Norway pushing ahead to take gold and Canada coming home with the silver medal.
Editor’s note: Gilbert Dash is currently on his way home and will be chatting with The Clipper about the Worlds and his upcoming return to the Nationals in Moose Jaw (March 22 – 29)
