Canada’s Brad Jacobs secures his second consecutive win at the Pan Continental Curling Championship by defeating Marc Pfister of the Philippines 10-3 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, defending champion Rachel Homan suffers an 11-5 loss to Japan but bounces back with a 10-2 victory against New Zealand later in the day.
The Pan Continental serves as a qualifying event for the 2026 men’s and women’s world championships. Canada has already earned a spot in the women’s world championship as the host nation in Calgary from March 14-22. The top four countries in the men’s Pan Continental will join the United States as hosts for next year’s men’s championship in Ogden City, Utah, scheduled from March 27 to April 4.
Jacobs kicked off his campaign with a 10-4 win over China’s Xiaoming Xu, setting the pace for his team’s performance. The Canadian squad, comprising Jacobs, vice Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant, and lead Ben Hebert from Calgary’s Glencoe Club, maintained control in the match against Pfister, who has represented Switzerland internationally.
Jacobs emphasized the team’s solid play, giving credit to lead Ben for setting up the ends effectively. The team views the Pan Continental as crucial preparation for the upcoming trials in Halifax to determine the Canadian representatives for the Winter Olympics in February.
Having won Olympic gold in 2014, Jacobs, alongside his current teammates, has focused on enhancing on-ice communication, working with sports psychologist Jason Boivin. The team’s focus on learning and improving communication strategies has been instrumental in their recent successes.
Looking ahead, the Canadian men are set to face South Korea’s Soo-Hyuk Kim and New Zealand’s Sean Becker on Wednesday. Homan, on the other hand, faced challenges against Japan but remains optimistic, citing the learning experience gained from the game. Despite a recent win at the Co-op Tour Challenge Grand Slam women’s final, Homan and her team are determined to fine-tune their performance for the remainder of the championship.
