Big-name curlers are tasked with recapturing Canada's Olympic glory

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Canada's Olympic curling teams are yet complete

Rocks commencement flying successful Beijing successful 20 days, but it took until this greeting for Canada to denote its last entry. John Morris and Rachel Homan volition support the mixed doubles golden medal that Morris won successful 2018 with erstwhile teammate Kaitlyn Lawes.

Homan and Morris were among the 16 teams that were expected to vie for Canada's spot successful the Olympic tourney astatine the nationalist mixed doubles trials successful Manitoba earlier the lawsuit was cancelled past month. A Curling Canada-led committee spent the past fewer weeks deciding which duo to nonstop to China, weighing factors including caller mixed-doubles show on with planetary occurrence successful accepted curling. Another flashy pairing successful the moving was reigning Scotties champ Kerri Einarson and 2014 Olympic men's golden medallist Brad Jacobs. There was besides sizeable lobbying from players who give themselves to mixed doubles and judge that should count.

But, successful the end, endowment won out. If the extremity is to nonstop the squad with the highest ceiling, past the enactment committee settled connected the astir evident pick. Morris, 43, is simply a proven Olympic performer who won a men's golden medal arsenic the 3rd for Kevin Martin successful 2010 earlier taking the mixed doubles rubric with Lawes successful 2018. The 32-year-old Homan is 1 of the astir palmy curlers ever, with 3 Scotties titles and a satellite title successful her trophy case. And theirs is nary shotgun partnership. Homan and Morris person played mixed doubles unneurotic since 2015. Morris turned to Lawes 4 years agone aft Homan won the Canadian women's trials, which made her ineligible for Olympic mixed doubles due to the fact that of the Curling Canada argumentation prohibiting anyone from competing successful much than 1 curling lawsuit astatine the aforesaid Games.

As for Lawes, she's heading to Beijing excessively arsenic a subordinate of the Jennifer Jones-skipped rink that won the Canadian women's trials successful November. Brad Gushue's squad won the men's. In Gushue and Jones, Canada volition person a erstwhile Olympic golden medallist astatine skip successful some of the accepted curling tournaments successful Beijing.

Now that we yet cognize everyone who's playing for Canada, let's instrumentality a speedy look astatine the 3 Olympic curling tournaments and what the Canadian teams are facing:

Mixed doubles

First, let's admit the simplicity of the Olympic curling tournaments. All 3 events commencement with a 10-team circular robin, and the apical 4 beforehand to the semifinals. The semifinal winners play for gold. The semifinal losers play for bronze. No Page playoffs, nary weird triple-knockout brackets to decipher. Easy.

In 2018, erstwhile mixed doubles made its Olympic debut with an eight-team event, Morris and Lawes were a wrecking ball. After losing their opener to Norway, they reeled disconnected 8 consecutive wins to instrumentality gold, including a 10-3 demolition of Switzerland successful the final.

The silver-medal Swiss duo of Jenny Perret and Martin Rios are backmost for Beijing. So is the Norwegian pairing of Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten, who were awarded bronze aft the antheral connected the Russian squad that bushed them failed a doping test. Besides Homan, the lone different big-name skip progressive successful the mixed doubles tourney is Great Britain's Bruce Mouat, a two-time European men's champ who took metallic astatine the men's worlds past year.

A large storyline successful Beijing volition beryllium Homan's effort to redeem herself from a disastrous showing successful the women's lawsuit successful 2018. Her squad went 4-5 and became the archetypal Canadian rink to miss the playoffs astatine the Olympics.

The mixed doubles lawsuit gets underway Feb. 2 astatine 7:05 a.m. ET, and Homan and Morris play their archetypal crippled that nighttime astatine 8:05 p.m. ET vs. Great Britain. The semifinals are connected the greeting of Feb. 7 successful Canadian clip zones, and the gold-medal crippled is the adjacent time astatine 7:05 a.m. ET.

Men's

Canada besides flopped successful this lawsuit successful 2018, with Kevin Koe's squad losing successful the semifinals to eventual champion John Shuster of the U.S. and past getting upset by Switzerland successful the bronze-medal game. Before these Games, nary Canadian curling squad had ever failed to triumph a medal. In Pyeongchang, some accepted teams did.

For Gushue, a batch has changed since helium won his Olympic golden medal successful Italy 16 years ago. Back then, helium was a talented yet inactive somewhat earthy youngster who threw 4th rocks but leaned connected the legendary Russ Howard to telephone games from the 2nd presumption (in the authoritative Olympic records, Howard is listed arsenic the skip). Now Gushue is each grown up — a 41-year-old begetter of 2 who's afloat successful bid of his craft. He captured 3 Brier titles from 2017-20 and a satellite title successful '17. Gushue took attraction of concern arsenic the favourite astatine the Canadian trials successful November, losing lone 1 crippled en way to defeating Jacobs successful the final.

The contention successful Beijing volition beryllium tough. It includes Shuster, Mouat and five-time satellite champion Nik Edin of Sweden, who's looking for his archetypal Olympic golden aft taking bronze successful 2014 and metallic successful '18. The tourney opens Feb. 8 astatine 7:05 a.m. ET, erstwhile Canada faces Denmark. The semis are the greeting of Feb. 17 successful Canadian clip zones, and the gold-medal crippled is Feb. 18 astatine 1:05 a.m. ET.

Women's

Jennifer Jones is curling royalty — the victor of a record-tying six Scotties, a two-time satellite champion and an Olympic golden medallist successful 2014. But her triumph astatine the Canadian trials was somewhat of a surprise. At 47, Jones was considered to beryllium past her prime, and astir observers rated her down Homan, Einarson and the red-hot Tracy Fleury. Sure enough, Jones mislaid to each of them successful the circular robin. But erstwhile the chips were down she came through, trouncing Krista McCarville successful the semis earlier stealing the last from an undefeated Fleury successful an other end.

In Beijing, Jones volition beryllium up against each 3 medallists from 2018: defending champ Anna Hasselborg of Sweden, South Korea's Kim Eun-jung (silver) and Japan's Satsuki Fujisawa (bronze). There's besides the victor of the past 2 satellite championships — Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni — and 2013 satellite champ Eve Muirhead of Great Britain, who took Olympic bronze successful 2014.

The women's tourney starts Feb. 9 astatine 8:05 p.m. ET, and Canada plays its archetypal crippled Feb. 10 astatine 7:05 a.m. ET vs. South Korea. The semifinals spell successful the greeting of Feb. 18 successful Canadian clip zones, and the last is Feb. 19 astatine 8:05 p.m. ET.

Read much astir today's mixed doubles squad announcement in this story by CBC Sports' Devin Heroux. Devin and co-host Colleen Jones (the different six-time Scotties winner) volition beryllium joined by Jones, Gushue, Homan and Morris connected tonight's occurrence of That Curling Show. Watch it astatine 7 p.m. ET on CBC Sports' YouTube channel.

Quickly...

A Canadian pistillate is simply a campaigner to go GM of the Minnesota Vikings. The NFL squad has reportedly requested an interrogation with Catherine Raiche, a 33-year-old who is vice-president of shot operations for the Philadelphia Eagles. The highest-ranking pistillate successful an NFL unit department, Raiche has been with the Eagles since 2019 and was promoted to her existent relation past year. Before that, she worked for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes, wherever she was the team's adjunct GM. Only 1 pistillate has been an NFL GM. Susan Tose Spencer was appointed by past Eagles proprietor Leonard Tose, her father, successful 1983. Read much astir Raiche's imaginable interrogation with Minnesota here.

Novak Djokovic learned his hostile for the archetypal circular of the Australian Open — if he's allowed to play. The men's No. 1 volition look unseeded chap Serb Miomir Kecmanovic connected Monday oregon Tuesday, assuming Australia's migration curate doesn't workout his powerfulness to deport Djokovic for failing to comply with the country's COVID-19 vaccination request for overseas visitors. A last determination connected that has inactive not been announced. The highest-seeded Canadian singles player, men's No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime, drew Finland's unseeded Emil Ruusuvuori. No. 14 Denis Shapovalov, who on with Auger-Aliassime helped Canada triumph its archetypal ATP Cup rubric past weekend, volition look unseeded Serb Laslo Djere. Women's No. 23 Leylah Fernandez looks to physique connected her astonishing tally to the U.S. Open last past twelvemonth arsenic she meets Australian chaotic paper Maddison Inglis. Bianca Andreescu is skipping the tournament, portion Rebecca Marino is the lone Canadian near successful qualifying. Read much astir Djokovic's concern and the Aussie Open draw here. Read much astir the Canadians' paths here.

Coming up connected CBC Sports

Here's what you tin live-stream Friday connected CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem:

Skeleton: Canada's champion hopes for a medal astatine this week's World Cup halt successful St. Moritz, Switzerland are successful the women's event. Mirela Rahneva is ranked ninth and captured Canada's lone medal truthful acold this play with a bronze past period successful Germany. Jane Channell is ranked 12th. Watch the women's contention starting astatine 3 a.m. ET and the men's astatine 7 a.m. ET.

Alpine skiing: One of the astir prestigious events successful skis racing takes spot astatine 6:30 a.m. ET with the World Cup men's downhill connected the revered Lauberhorn mountain successful Wengen, Switzerland. Canada's Jack Crawford placed 5th successful today's super-G on the aforesaid hill.

Ski cross: A clump of Canadian Olympic contenders are competing successful this week's World Cup halt astatine Nakiska successful Alberta. The women's races diagnostic 2014 Olympic champion Marielle Thompson and 2018 metallic medallist Brittany Phelan. The men's see reigning Olympic champ Brady Leman and defending World Cup champ Reece Howden. Watch the archetypal of 2 sets of men's and women's events astatine Nakiska astatine 2:15 p.m. ET. The 2nd acceptable goes Saturday astatine the aforesaid time.

Freestyle skiing — moguls: Canadian prima Mikaël Kingsbury heads into the last World Cup halt earlier the Olympics, astatine Utah's Deer Valley, looking for his 100th vocation World Cup podium. He's besides chasing his 10th consecutive play title. Kingsbury recaptured the pb from Japan's Ikuma Horishima with back-to-back victories past week astatine Mont-Tremblant, Que. They're competing contiguous astatine 4 p.m. ET. If you work this successful time, watch unrecorded here. Friday's lawsuit starts astatine the aforesaid time.

You're up to speed. Talk to you tomorrow.