Canada set to compete at inaugural World Junior Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Edmonton
Canada’s final push for an international medal this season begins at home with a brand-new world curling championship.
The Booster Juice World Junior Mixed Doubles Curling Championship begins Tuesday at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton. It marks the first time World Curling has hosted a world championship solely dedicated to the mixed doubles discipline for athletes under 21.
Representing Canada at the debut championship are Dominique Vivier of Navan, Ont., Nick Codner of Torbay, N.L., and coach Laura Walker of Edmonton. A hometown crowd will back the Canadian team as they compete in the 29-team open-entry field.
“This championship represents a significant step forward in the development of mixed doubles curling at the junior level,” said Helen Radford, Curling Canada’s Manager, NextGen and Podium Pathway. “We knew it was important to implement a transparent and competitive qualification process that gave young athletes a fair opportunity to represent Canada. Dominique and Nick earned their place at the world championship, and this event gives them—and future athletes—a chance to gain invaluable international experience in a growing discipline. It’s an exciting moment for our sport and these young curlers.”
Mixed doubles curling has steadily gained prominence since becoming an Olympic discipline in 2018. It has since been added to the Paralympic Games and integrated into more junior international events, including the FISU World University Games and Youth Olympic Games. This inaugural world junior championship represents another significant step in the discipline’s evolution.
Vivier and Codner earned the right to wear the Maple Leaf following a 73-team playdown process that began with regional qualifiers in Brandon, Man., and Moncton, N.B. Eight teams advanced to the national Under-21 World Mixed Doubles Qualifier in Summerside, P.E.I. The team placed third in round-robin play with a 4-3 record. They secured the final playoff spot and battled through the semifinal and final to claim the Canadian berth.
Teams at the world championship are divided into four pools for round-robin play, running from Tuesday to Saturday. The top two teams in each group advance to the playoffs, beginning with quarterfinals Saturday at 6 p.m. (all times MT). Semifinals follow Sunday at 10 a.m., with the gold- and bronze-medal games set for 3 p.m. that afternoon.
Canada’s schedule:
Tuesday, May 6
2 p.m. – vs. South Korea (Bobae Kang/Hak Jun Kim)
Wednesday, May 7
12:30 p.m. – vs. Romania (Ania Bacali/Tudor Pop)
Thursday, May 8
6 p.m. – vs. Turkey (Burcu Hasil/Taha Muhammed Zenit)
Friday, May 9
12:30 p.m. – vs. England (Chloe McNaughton/Matthew Waring)
7:30 p.m. – vs. Ukraine (Diana Moskalenko/Artem Suhak)
Saturday, May 10
12:30 p.m. – vs. Switzerland (Elodie Tschudi/Nathan Dryburgh)
6 p.m. – Quarterfinals*
Sunday, May 11
10 a.m. – Semifinals*
3 p.m. – Gold- and bronze-medal games*
