Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman of Canada concluded their Olympic mixed doubles curling campaign with an 8-4 victory over Switzerland, but it came too late to reach the playoffs. The husband-and-wife duo from Chestermere, Alberta, finished with a 4-5 record after struggling to adapt to changing ice conditions at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Their early promise faded into a five-game losing streak that ended their hopes.
The Canadian pair entered the tournament at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium with high expectations, securing three straight wins to start. However, adjustments proved challenging after the ice was textured on Friday night, followed by an underclipped pebble on Saturday that created a faster, straighter surface. This shift, described by coach Scott Pfeifer as transforming the event overnight, caught Gallant and Peterman off guard.
"It just took us a while," Pfeifer said, expressing regret that the round-robin wasn't longer. Gallant likened the ice to moving from a municipal golf course to the U.S. Open greens, noting it required tweaks to slide lines and release techniques. A loss to Sweden on Sunday put them in jeopardy, and a defeat against South Korea eliminated them.
Despite the disappointment, the Canadians found rhythm in their final match against Switzerland's Yannick Schwaller and Briar Schwaller-Huerlimann, both teams ending at 4-5. Canada scored three in the seventh end and forced the Swiss to concede in the eighth. "It was just a good feeling because we were pretty deflated after yesterday," Gallant reflected.
World Curling's Chris Hamilton affirmed the ice met international standards, praising athletes' shotmaking. Peterman acknowledged the hurt but hoped for future pride in their effort. This marks Canada's second straight Olympic mixed doubles without playoffs, following gold in 2018 by Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris.
Gallant will pivot to the four-player team event with Brad Jacobs, seeking fresh momentum. Medal games feature the United States against Sweden for gold and Great Britain versus Italy for bronze.
