Canada's wheelchair curling team remained undefeated at the Milan Cortina Paralympics with an 11-1 victory over Latvia on March 9. Alternate Gil Dash made his Paralympic debut at age 57, playing as lead in the match held in Cortina, Italy. The win improves Canada's record to 4-0 in the mixed team event.
Canada's mixed team wheelchair curling squad secured a dominant 11-1 win against Latvia on March 9 at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics, maintaining their perfect 4-0 record. The match, played at the curling rink in Cortina, Italy, saw Canada pull ahead decisively with a steal of four points in the fourth end, leading 9-0. They added two more stolen points in the fifth end, and after Latvia scored one in the sixth, the teams agreed to a handshake, ending the game early.
Gil Dash, a 57-year-old from Kipling, Saskatchewan, made his Paralympic debut as the team's alternate, taking the lead position on the ice. "It felt amazing," Dash said. "The atmosphere here at the rink in Cortina was fantastic. Lots of people and loud. How can you not love curling when you experience something like this?"
The Canadian team is skipped by Mark Ideson from London, Ontario, and includes five-time Paralympian Ina Forrest from Spallumcheen, British Columbia, who throws second stones, along with Collinda Joseph and Jon Thurston from Dunsford, Ontario. Ideson praised Dash's performance: "It was epic to have Gil on the ice today. It’s like I relived my first Paralympic Games through him. He was so good out there, calm and composed."
Head coach Mick Lizmore highlighted Dash's contributions beyond playing: "He’s tracking tendencies of what we are seeing from ourselves and our opponents, as well as the ice conditions. We’re a deep team which includes great athletes and it’s great to see Gil get into a game today."
Canada's next matches are against China and Sweden on March 10. China remains the only other undefeated team at 3-0, while Sweden suffered its first loss of the tournament.
