Leduc, Alberta, welcomed top wheelchair curlers from around the world for Curling Canada's Leduc Wheelchair Curling Event from January 11 to 17. Over 60 athletes competed in mixed and mixed doubles formats at the Leduc Curling Club, with strong Canadian performances amid international competition. The event highlighted the venue's accessibility and high-quality ice conditions.
The Leduc Curling Club served as the venue for this significant gathering, drawing teams from Japan, Great Britain, South Korea, and the United States, alongside 14 Canadian squads out of the total 20 participating. As noted in a city press release, few Canadian facilities can match Leduc's combination of accessibility, ice quality, live streaming, and local accommodations, making it ideal for high-performance wheelchair curling. This competition provided rare opportunities for Canadian teams to face international opponents on home ice.
Wheelchair curling games feature eight ends with no sweeping, demanding exceptional precision in throws. The event kicked off with mixed doubles, where eight teams played a round-robin format. Canada Red dominated with a perfect 7-0 record, advancing to the final against Canada White, who finished 5-2. Canada Red secured gold with a 7-2 victory, while Team USA claimed bronze by defeating Team Calgary 8-5, ensuring an international presence on the podium.
In the mixed category, 12 teams were divided into two groups for five round-robin games each. Japan and South Korea topped their pools with undefeated 5-0 records, but upsets occurred in the semifinals. Canadian pairs Wright/Mulligan and Molnar/Fowler advanced by defeating South Korea's Baek/Lee and Japan's Ogawa/Nakajima, respectively. The final saw Wright/Mulligan win gold 5-3 over Molnar/Fowler, with Baek/Lee taking bronze after rebounding from their semifinal loss.
The tournament underscored the growing competitiveness in wheelchair curling, a Paralympic sport, and showcased Leduc's role in fostering inclusive, world-class events. For full scores and standings, results are available on curlingzone.com.
