Brad Jacobs’ Canadian rink secured the top playoff seed and an Olympic berth with a dominant 8-2 win over Austria’s Mathias Genner at the BKT World Men’s Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, Sask. The victory improved Canada’s record to 10-1, earning them a direct semifinal berth and hammer advantage.
Team Jacobs—featuring Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, and Ben Hebert—jumped ahead early and never looked back. Tyler Tardi stepped in during the fifth end, making his event debut in a game Austria conceded after seven ends.
Jacobs praised his team’s intensity in key moments, saying, “It’s almost like there’s a switch that flips in all of us individually.” The team was set to wrap up round-robin play Friday night against the U.S.’s Korey Dropkin.
Switzerland, Scotland, and three other teams also secured playoff spots. Scotland’s Bruce Mouat sits at 8-3, while Switzerland clinched with a 6-5 win over the Czech Republic. Sweden’s Niklas Edin fell to Italy but remains in playoff contention at 7-4.
Canada’s lone loss came in an extra end against Scotland earlier in the week. Jacobs noted that shorter games helped conserve energy, saying, “We’ve saved our bodies quite well.”
Canada, seeking its first world title since Brad Gushue’s 2017 win, now awaits semifinal action on Sunday. Following the championship, World Curling will announce the seven nations joining host Italy at the 2026 Olympics. The final two Olympic spots will be decided in a December qualifier in Kelowna, B.C.
Canada’s Olympic curling team will be named after the Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax this November.
Source: Swifteradio.com
