They did it again, these crazy curling kids
That was quite the showcase – for curling in general, and the mixed doubles discipline in particular.
Just hours after young Zoe Cinnamon and her teammate Johnson Tao made a killer shot to end a killer game with a killer linescore in the semifinals, two different young guns ended the 2026 Canadian mixed doubles curling championship with a killer shot of their own.
It was another bonkers linescore as Edmonton women’s fours skip Serena Gray-Withers and her Ontario teammate Victor Pietrangelo defeated Tao/Cinnamon to capture the title in Surrey, B.C.
Champions • Amanda Wong-Curling CanadaTao/Cinnamon, the Alberta champions, scored six points in the first end to start the game – that’s right, six – but ended up losing 10-9.
“My rock picked (on the last shot of the first end) almost right out of my hand and we were set up for a force,” Gray-Withers told Curling Canada.
“(From then on) we didn’t need to do anything special and just tried to play some messy curling.”
Gray-Withers/Pietrangelo got messy with three in the second end, stole the third and scored a deuce and a steal in ends five/six… but still trailed 9-7 coming home.
That’s when Gray-Withers, who skips Cinnamon on their women’s fours team, nailed a tricky draw for three on her final stone to win the match.
“Let’s go!” was the repeat scream amid the celebrations.
The entire playoff series, which started with a qualification round on Thursday, showcased Canada’s NextGen curling talent as established star pairings – including Peterman/Gallant, Jones/Laing and Homan/Bottcher – gradually fell out of contention.
Cinnamon and Tao • Amanda Wong-Curling Canada“They’re a great team,” Gray-Withers said of Tao/Cinnamon. “They’re some of our very closest friends.
“Winning a championship is awesome, but playing a friend and teammate is always really hard. You always want what’s best for them, it sucks, but it’s a great opportunity for us.”
Gray-Withers and Pietrangelo will represent Canada at the 2027 world mixed doubles championship at a location still to be announced.
It’s expected the event will be held alongside the 2027 world senior championships.
The 2026 world combined mixed doubles and seniors gets underway in Geneva, Switzerland on Apr. 25.