With a huge comeback 7-6 victory over Norway in its last round-robin match, Canada officially secured a place in the wheelchair curling semifinals.
Entering the eighth and final end of the match, Canada was down 6-4. A loss and the Canadians would have had to wait it out the rest of the day to see if their record held up to make the semifinals, but a win and they were in. It went down to the very last rock, and a superb throw by Jon Thurston gave Canada three points to take the thrilling triumph.
“I really just stuck to the process,” said Thurston. “I really wanted to confirm the weight and the path, so I was clear on what I was trying to do. I threw it nice and positive, and we got the result we wanted.”
The squad, led by skip Mark Ideson, caps off the group stage with a record of 7-3. Canada is through to its fifth consecutive semifinal at the Paralympic Winter Games. It will be Canada versus China on Friday for a place in the gold medal game.
“I’m feeling some relief. To get through the round robin and to get our spot in the playoffs – it’s a relief,” said Ideson, who was born and raised in Parry Sound.
“I think we thought we should be a playoff team, so it’s great that we officially are,” said Ina Forrest. “I think we just go forward playing the same – treating every shot like it matters, and do your best on every single one. We don’t ever quit, so we’re always going to be there.”
Click here for the complete Canadian Paralympic Team results on March 10.
