Experienced Canadian curling teams will aim to end Olympic gold drought at Cortina

Team Jacobs, rear from left to right, Brad Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, and Ben Hebert pose with the winning women's team, from left to right, Rachel Homan, Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, and Sarah Wilkes following the Montana's Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax on Nov. 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

There won’t be Olympic stage fright for members of the Canadian curling teams at the Milan Cortina Games in February.

The presence of the five Olympic rings can be unnerving for some athletes, especially those competing under the sporting world’s biggest spotlight for the first time.

All three Canadian sides — the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles teams — are loaded with experience.

Three of four members of the men’s squad skipped by Brad Jacobs have previously won Olympic gold and the other has earned bronze.

“They’re just such pros at everything they do,” said Tyler Tardi, who will serve as the team alternate at the Games. “The way they prepare, the way they practise, the way they treat each other.

“It’s just the most professional team I’ve ever seen in every aspect of the game.”

Women’s skip Rachel Homan will make her third straight Olympic appearance. Team second Emma Miskew is back for a second time.

Brett Gallant will throw second stones for Jacobs and also play mixed doubles with partner Jocelyn Peterman, who was on the Jennifer Jones team that played at the Beijing Games four years ago.

A trials and pre-trials process that included 30 men’s and women’s teams produced Canadian representatives, who are expected to be among the contenders at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.

“The reality here is we’ve got three really strong teams who have got experience but are also at the top of their game,” said Curling Canada high-performance director David Murdoch.

Team Jacobs lead Ben Hebert and vice Marc Kennedy won Olympic gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games with skip Kevin Martin.

Jacobs skipped a different team to Olympic gold in 2014 at Sochi, Russia. Hebert and Kennedy returned to the Olympics with skip Kevin Koe at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea but missed the podium.

Currently ranked third in the world, Jacobs beat Matt Dunstone in the final of the Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials last November in Halifax. Top-ranked Homan defeated local favourite Christina Black in the women’s final.

Homan’s Ottawa-based side includes Olympic rookies Tracy Fleury at third and Sarah Wilkes at lead. Peterman and Gallant, meanwhile, are ranked 23rd in the world in mixed doubles.

“There’s a real calmness from the teams,” Murdoch said in a recent interview. “They feel they’ve done a huge amount of training. They understand what they need to do to win.

“That’s a lot of dedication, showing a lot of resilience and making a lot of choices in life around dedicating themselves to their craft. And I think that’s bearing fruit.”

Homan, 36, has guided her side to back-to-back world titles but Olympic success has remained elusive. She dropped her first three games in her Winter Games debut in 2018 and finished out of the medal picture.

Homan and John Morris were named mixed doubles reps in 2022 but missed the playoff cut. Peterman’s women’s side also missed the podium in Beijing while Gallant took bronze on a team skipped by Brad Gushue.

Peterman and Gallant won the mixed doubles trials last January before locking down an Olympic berth at the world championship in May.

“I just feel like they’re masters of this game,” said mixed doubles coach Laine Peters. “They’re so calm and they have such a great approach to the game. They work very well together.”

Sweden, Switzerland, Britain, Japan, South Korea and host Italy are also expected to be among the medal contenders in Cortina.

“You’re trying to achieve something that doesn’t come about very often,” Murdoch said. “And with that comes expectation, with that possibly some pressure, but at the same time it’s the opportunity of a lifetime to achieve one of your dreams.”

The Olympic schedule kicks off with mixed doubles play on Feb. 4, two days before the opening ceremony. Men’s team play begins Feb. 11, a day before the start of the women’s team schedule.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2026.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press