Jennifer Jones and rink beat Russia at worlds for shot at gold
It took two chances, but Canada is headed to the gold medal game at the World Women’s Curling Championship in Sapporo, Japan.
Skip Jennifer Jones and her Canadian rink of third Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jill Officer, and lead Dawn McEwen defeated Russia’s Anna Sidorova by a score of 7-4 in a Saturday semifinal.
Jones and company were pushed to the semifinal situation after losing to Switzerland 6-4, in the earlier page playoff 1-2 game. The Canadians had to be resilient and benefited from finishing in the top-two after the round robin, affording them the route through the semis following the loss to Switzerland.
“Finals are great; that’s what you play a sport for, those adrenalin rushes that go with a final,” said Jones in a Curling Canada story. “What I love about our team is that we never give up; we came out here and showed grit and determination — I’m so proud to play with these girls.”
The gold medal game will be a third match with Switzerland’s Alina Pätz, this one at 3 p.m. local time, 2 a.m. ET on Sunday. Pätz beat Canada 7-6 in the round robin, and of course 6-4 on Saturday.
Russia is forced to play for the bronze against Scotland’s Eve Muirhead.
Switzerland will be looking to win the country’s third world championship in four years while the most recent Canadian triumph was in 2008 when Jones, Officer, McEwen and then teammate Cathy Overton-Clapham won in Vernon. Jennifer Clark-Rouire, 2015’s alternate, was also on the 2008 team.
Canada is now assured a sixth-straight medal at curling worlds and has a shot at a world-leading 16th gold medal.
