Brad Gushue is approaching this yr’s males’s world curling championships prefer it may very well be his final.
The veteran skip from St. John’s, N.L., gained the world title in 2017 and misplaced within the ultimate 3 times, together with the final two years. The 43-year-old isn’t taking his future as a right.
“At this level, it’s important to deal with each one prefer it’s the final one,” Gushue mentioned in current media availability earlier than leaving for Schaffhausen, Switzerland. “I’m going into this prefer it may very well be the final as a result of, whether or not I play for 5 or 10 extra years, profitable a Brier is extraordinarily powerful. You don’t get these alternatives on a regular basis.
“Hopefully we’ve bought just a few extra left (in us) however I don’t assume we will assume that’s going to occur.”
Gushue and his rink of third Mark Nichols, second E.J. Harnden and lead Geoff Walker gained this yr’s Brier with a 9-5 victory over Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen in Regina. For Gushue, Nichols and Walker, it was their sixth Brier victory and third straight.
Harnden, in his second season with Gushue, collected his third nationwide title. His first was in 2013 with Brad Jacobs’ Northern Ontario crew.
The lads’s curling championship begins Saturday on the KSS Sports activities Advanced. The 13 groups will play a spherical robin with the highest six advancing to the playoffs and semifinals subsequent Saturday. The winner can be topped April 7.
Gushue understands how onerous it’s to win a world title. He misplaced final yr’s ultimate 9-3 to Scotland’s Bruce Mouat and in 2022 was overwhelmed 8-6 by Sweden’s Niklas Edin. He additionally misplaced the 2018 ultimate to Edin.
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“I believe one factor we’ve executed actual effectively on the world championships is put ourselves within the place, if we’ve got a fantastic sport, we will win it,” mentioned Gushue. “Or, if somebody slips up, we’d win as effectively. Sadly for us, the final 3 times we performed within the ultimate we both had a poor sport or, within the state of affairs final yr, Bruce had an unimaginable sport.
“This yr is nearly getting again in that place of moving into the playoffs and hopefully making the ultimate. If we may put a sport collectively like we’re able to enjoying, then we’ll give ourselves an actual good likelihood. To win these massive championships, you want a little bit little bit of luck and a little bit little bit of timing. At the previous few worlds we haven’t had that within the final sport of the week.”
Workforce Canada skip Brad Gushue watches a shot strategy the home whereas enjoying Workforce Alberta-Bottcher throughout the playoffs on the Brier, in Regina, on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Gushue was the final Canadian rink to win the world title. Edin gained 4 consecutive crowns earlier than Mouat gained final yr. The 2020 championships had been cancelled attributable to COVID-19.
Rachel Homan ended a four-year drought for Canada by profitable the ladies’s world curling championship with a 7-5 win over Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni on Sunday in Sydney, N.S.
Gushue mentioned Homan’s win doesn’t put any additional stress on his rink.
“If something it most likely takes the stress off,” he mentioned. “We’ve a world championship.
“I believe Canadian curling followers are absolutely understanding of world curling now and the way difficult it’s.”
Homan and Gushue had been the skips the final time Canadian rinks gained each the women and men’s titles in 2017.
Gushue understands higher than most how tough profitable will be at any stage. He gained an Olympic gold medal in 2006 however didn’t win his first Brier till 2017. He additionally gained a bronze medal on the 2022 Olympics.
Every competitors served as a studying expertise.
“You’re taking these experiences and ensure you’re as ready as you will be,” he mentioned. “We’ve already had some discussions on what we will count on based mostly on having been to a couple world championships.
“I believe we’re extra ready as a result of we’ve had these experiences previously.”
The extent of competitors on the world championship has additionally improved.
Joel Retornaz’s rink from Italy is ranked No. 1 on this planet, with Mouat second and Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller, who took the bronze medal finally yr’s competitors, fifth.
South Korea’s Park Jong-duk is taken into account a medal contender after beating Gushue throughout the preliminary spherical of this yr’s Pan Continentals. Gushue rebounded to beat Park within the ultimate. American John Shuster gained gold on the 2018 Olympics and was third on the 2016 world championship.
Gushue opens with video games Saturday in opposition to Lukas Klima of the Czechia and Germany’s Marc Muskatewitz.
“It’s a reasonably deep subject and even the groups that most likely wouldn’t be favourites to make the playoffs, they’re all able to beating each crew,” mentioned Gushue. “There are not any video games you may take off.
“We are also assured that if we play the best way we’re able to enjoying, we ought to be there on the finish of the week and hopefully provides ourselves an opportunity to win.”
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