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CANADIANS TIED FOR FIRST IN UNIVERSITY GAMES MIXED DOUBLES 

It’s not typical in international competition that a team is asked to play five games in a 48-hour period, but such was the case for the Canadian mixed doubles team at the FISU World University Games in Torino, Italy. 

After starting the competition with two wins on day one, Jessica Zheng and Victor PIetrangelo (both from Niagara Falls, Ont.) had three more games on the schedule Sunday, winning two and losing one. 

The student athletes from the University of Waterloo (Zheng) and Brock University (Pietrangelo) won their opener, 9-4, over Switzerland with a dominant 9-4 performance. In the afternoon draw, the Canadians dropped their matchup with Great Britain in a 7-6 loss. Looking to recover, Zheng and Pietrangelo battled back with a 7-3 win over Japan. 

“We had a great game against Switzerland this morning. Very dominant,” said Pietrangelo. “The Great Britain game was very back and forth, and ultimately came down to a couple more made shots on their end.” 

The third game of the day was close, until a triple takeout by Pietrangelo and an angle tap from Zheng set up a steal in the seventh end. They ran Japan out of rocks in the eighth. 

“It felt really great to bounce back in the last game and add another win,” said Pietrangelo. 

Their four wins puts Canada at the top of the standings, tied with Great Britain. The top four will advance to semifinals on Tuesday. 

“We’re starting to catch our groove,” said Pietrangelo. “We’re super happy to be 4-1 and looking for another two solid games tomorrow.” 

The four player men’s event will begin Wednesday, and the women will play starting Thursday. 

Technically, the World University Games haven’t even begun yet. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, January 13. Speaking of which… 

U SPORTS announced on Sunday that Catherine Clifford, a curler from the University of Alberta, will be one of the flagbearers along with hockey player Kai Edmonds from Toronto Metropolitain University. 

Clifford is a three-time national champion with the U of A Pandas, and is a four-time U SPORTS Academic All Canadian. 

Playoff games will be streamed on FISU.tv. For results and schedules, visit: https://wugtorino2025.microplustimingservices.com/#/general-reports