Tough Start at Youth Olympics

Canada drops first Youth Olympic game to Italy 

It wasn’t the start they wanted, but Canada’s Youth Olympic curling team isn’t getting down on themselves. 

“It was a lot of good, and not much bad,” said skip Nathan Gray of Dartmouth, N.S. “We didn’t get the win, but I was really happy with the way we played.” 

The Canadian squad of Gray, Chloe Fediuk (Edmonton), Owain Fisher (North River, N.S.), and Allie Iskiw (Edmonton) opened their Youth Olympic tournament in Gangwon, South Korea with an 8-3 loss to Italy (skipped by Andrea Gilli), kicking off the seven-game round robin in the B Pool on Saturday. While it was a back-and-forth battle early on, the Italians pulled away in the second half of the game for their first win, handing Canada their first loss. 

“It was a close game,” said Gray. “We’re going to take what we can from it, and we’re looking forward to the next few games and getting after it.” 

The score was tied 2-2 after the fourth end, but Italy put up three in the fifth and another two in the seventh to put the game out of reach. 

The Canadians will face Brazil and Great Britain on Sunday, the next two battles in the 16-team event. In the meantime, Gray and team are enjoying the Olympic atmosphere, and trying to get some sleep. 

“Competing is great, and the village is amazing. It’s so different from anything I’ve ever experienced before and the Korean hospitality has been incredible,” said Gray. “The sleep schedule is starting to settle down too, so I’ll hopefully sleep through the night and be good and rested for the rest of the week.” 

Although the Canadians arrived in Korea six days ago, the time difference is anywhere from 13-17 hours, depending on where you live in Canada.  

“The first few days were a struggle to adjust, but we’re good to go now,” said Gray.  “We just want to get a good sleep tonight, and be ready to go for two games tomorrow.” 

After the two pools complete a seven-game round robin, three teams from each will qualify for the playoff round. The two top teams will get a bye to the semifinal. 

The four-player mixed format is just one of the curling disciplines at the 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympics. A mixed doubles event will follow at the Gangneung Curling Centre, the same venue that was used for the 2018 Olympic Games.  

Canada’s mixed doubles team of Cailey Locke (Conception Bay South, N.L.) and Simon Perry (Portugal Cove, N.L.) will arrive soon, along with more family and supporters. The two teams are being supported by team leader Helen Radford, coach Jeff Hoffart, and a variety of Canadian Olympic Committee staff. 

“We appreciate the support so much,” said Gray. “Our families made the trip, and we had lots of Canadian fans in the stands. It means a lot.” 

Some games are streaming on http://www.youtube.com/olympics and https://olympics.com/en/gangwon-2024/. CBC has daily highlights on http://cbcsports.ca 

Scores, standings, and schedules can be found here: https://livescores.worldcurling.org/