Faced with choosing an Olympic mixed doubles curling team instead of going through the traditional playdowns, Curling Canada prioritized world-class experience for their selection.
Having the current Olympic champion on the list of nominees did not hurt either.
John Morris and Rachel Homan were chosen to represent Canada in Beijing on Thursday when the federation opted for the long-awaited and sure-fire choice of two players with loaded resumes.
:We understand the circumstances,” Morris said in a video call. “At the end of the day, when you get to wear the maple leaf on your back and go into battle for your country to try and get a medal, that’s something I enjoy.
“I just can’t wait for one more chance.”
In addition to their Olympic experience, both players have won world titles and are three-time national champions.
Morris, 43, won Olympic gold with Kevin Martin at the 2010 Vancouver Games. She also took mixed doubles gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games with Kaitlyn Lawes in the discipline’s Olympic debut.
Homan, 32, represented Canada in the women’s team event in South Korea but did not make the podium. She was replaced by Lawes for the mixed doubles trials after closing out the team spot.
“We wanted to select a highly ranked team with a lot of international experience and a consistent history of winning performances,” said national coach Scott Pfeifer. “I think John and Rachel, with their experience at the Olympics, and John especially with mixed doubles, makes them the perfect team to represent Canada in Beijing.”
Homan and Morris have won four of their last six mixed doubles competitions together and 45 of their last 49 games as a duo overall.
Canada will join fellow headliners Sweden, Great Britain, Switzerland, Norway and the United States in the 10-team Olympic mixed doubles field.
READ MORE: Gushue wins men’s final at Canada Olympic curling trials, Jones takes women’s spot
Homan has been successful in Beijing in the past. She beat Russia’s Anna Sidorova in the 2017 women’s world championships final at the Capital Indoor Stadium.
Mixed doubles round-robin play at the Winter Games begins on February 2 at the Ice Cube.
“We are very excited, grateful and honored that Curling Canada is placing their faith in us,” said Homan. “We take that very seriously.
“John and I are competitors and we are excited to get together and start training in a few days.”
Homan and Pfeiffer were expected to join Morris this weekend in Canmore, Alta., for an isolated training camp before leaving for China.
Curling Canada consulted with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Own the Podium before making the announcement, which ended a nearly three-week wait for contending teams.
Mixed doubles trials, scheduled to begin Dec. 28 in Portage la Prairie, Man., were canceled on Boxing Day. Curling Canada cited travel risks and positive cases of COVID-19 among athletes for its decision to scrap the 16-team event.
READ MORE: Curling Canada cancels mixed doubles Olympic trials amid rising COVID-19 cases
The nomination process was made more difficult by the fact that the top two teams in the national rankings Anna Sidorova Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant and No. 2s Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing were dropped as they had qualified in four-player events. .
Unlike many other curling federations, Curling Canada does not allow curlers to play in both disciplines at the same Games.
Peterman and Jones booked their tickets to Beijing in November by winning the women’s team trials in Saskatoon. Gallant won the men’s title from skip Brad Gushue.
Other pairings believed to be in the mix for selection include Nancy Martin and Tyrel Griffith, No. 4, and Lisa Weagle and John Epping, No. 4. Weagle, a member of Jones’ five-player court, was eligible. as he is listed as a substitute in the team game.
Kerri Einarson teamed up with Gushue to win the Canadian mixed doubles championship last season in the Calgary bubble.
He was planning to play the trials with Brad Jacobs, who lost the final of the team trials to Gushue. Laing, meanwhile, was ready to jam with Selena Njegovan.
“We are blessed with an incredible group of mixed doubles players, and I have nothing but compassion for the curlers who were going to compete in the Tests and the pandemic took that opportunity away from them,” Curling Canada Executive Director Katherine Henderson said in a statement. a statement. . “But we are confident that Rachel and John will make Canada proud in Beijing.”
Homan and Morris, both natives of Ottawa, are ranked fifth in Canada, but their experience in big games was hard for other teams to match.
“We have John Morris, who is basically the most successful mixed doubles player in curling history right now,” Pfeifer said. “Rachel has a lot of experience, both on the world stage and on the Olympic stage.
“We were very confident that no matter what, they would be an excellent pair to advance in these Olympics.”
Morris and Homan’s ripple connections run deep.
Rachel’s brother Mark used to play with Morris at the junior level. Morris’s father, Earle, coached Homan’s four-player team during its formative years until 2014.
In the past, families often got together during the holidays to play games.
“Being named to the Olympic team is phenomenal,” Homan said. “But being able to do it with someone you’ve known your whole life is just another amazing feeling.”
Morris, a three-time Canadian mixed doubles medalist, won silver with Homan in the 2017 national playdowns. They led the table at the Qualico Mixed Doubles Classic last fall, beating Jones/Laing in the semi-final and Peterman/Gallant in the final. .
“I love the pressure, I love it,” Morris said. “I love the main stage and I know Rachel is the same way. She has a tremendous track record. Is this the way we wanted to be chosen? No. We wanted to go into battle against the best in Canada and prove that we were the best team in the nation.
“Given the circumstances, this time it was not possible. I think we’re both very excited to work very hard to prepare for Beijing and go out there and prove ourselves on the ice.”
© 2022 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca