Canada’s Wheelchair Curling Team Remains Undefeated at Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics

CORTINA d’AMPEZZO, Italy — Canada’s wheelchair curling team continued its impressive run at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games, maintaining a perfect 3-0 record after Day 3 of competition. The team secured victories against both Great Britain and Norway on Sunday, showcasing both resilience and strategic play.

Close Victory Over Great Britain

The day began with a tightly contested match against Great Britain, ultimately resulting in a 5-4 win for Canada. The game saw a cautious start, with the first set canceled out by the Canadians. Great Britain then scored the first point in the second conclude. The score remained low, with both teams trading singles, leading to a tense battle heading into the final innings.

“The idea is to stay resilient and stay focused on what’s next, not let misses or the flow of the innings gain you down,” said Collinda Joseph, lead for Team Canada. “I think we have to continue like this. This must be our watchword this week.”

In a dramatic eighth end, with Canada trailing by two points, the team capitalized on missed shots from Great Britain to score two points and secure the victory. Hugh Nibloe, Great Britain’s captain, attempted a precise placement on the button with his final stone, but fell short.

Dominant Performance Against Norway

Canada followed up their narrow win with a decisive 9-2 victory over Norway in the evening session. The game was highlighted by a spectacular shot from Jon Thurston in the sixth end. With the game previously tight, Thurston eliminated two Norwegian stones and positioned five Canadian stones for scoring.

“I’m really happy I made that throw,” Thurston said. “It was a possibility that the coaches had considered from the bench. I’m glad Mark placed his broom well and I threw it at the speed he wanted. I’m super happy to have achieved this.”

Skip Mark Ideson added, “Norway is a very good team, and you shouldn’t underestimate them. They are the 2024 world champions, and they like to play with a lot of stones on the line, just like us. We tried to put as many stones into play as possible. Sometimes it works and we grab the lead, sometimes it doesn’t, and today was just our lucky day.”

Team Composition and Upcoming Schedule

Team Canada consists of skip Mark Ideson (London, Ont.), vice-skip and third Jon Thurston (Dunsford, Ont.), second Ina Forrest (Spallumcheen, B.C.), and lead Collinda Joseph (Ottawa), with Gilbert Dash as an alternate. The team is coached by Mick Lizmore and Dana Ferguson.

Canada will face Team Latvia on Monday at 4:35 a.m. ET. Live results, team composition, and standings can be found here. All of Canada’s matches are being broadcast on Radio-Canada, the official Paralympic rights holder in Canada; the broadcast schedule is available here.