Canada’s Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant suffered their first defeat at the world mixed doubles curling championship on Monday.
The husband-and-wife team from Chestermere, Alta., lost 7-5 to the Italian combo of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner in a battle of 4-0 teams atop the Group A standings.
Italy tied the game 5-5 by stealing one in the seventh end and then, without hammer in the final end, scored a deuce to improve to 5-0.
Canada had built a 5-2 lead after five ends, then Italy scored a pair in the sixth, and from there stole its way to victory.
Earlier in the day Canada knocked off the Netherlands 7-3 as Peterman and Gallant combined to curl 92 per cent in the lopsided win.
Phew! An absolutely crucial draw and sweep from <a href=”https://twitter.com/PetermanGallant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@PetermanGallant</a> to score a go-ahead single in the fifth end and take a 4-3 lead against the Netherlands!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WMDCC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WMDCC</a> <a href=”https://t.co/Ze4WqGNiSV”>pic.twitter.com/Ze4WqGNiSV</a>
—@CurlingCanada
Italy beat Denmark 8-5 and Scotland thumped Finland 9-2 Monday morning. Scotland lost 10-7 to Korea in the evening draw to slip to 4-1.
Combined results from this year’s competition and the 2024 world playdowns will determine the seven countries that will join host Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. The two remaining spots in the 10-team field will come from the Olympic Qualifying Event in December at Kelowna, B.C.
Reigning Canadian mixed doubles champions Kadriana Lott and Colton Lott were fifth at last year’s worlds in Oestersund, Sweden.
