CANADA’S men’s curling team had the last laugh after a Winter Olympics packed with drama.
After being labeled “cheats” and thrust into the center of a furious double-touching argument, Marc Kennedy and his teammates hit back in the best possible way – beating Team GB to win gold.
Marc Kennedy had the last laugh as Canada won curling gold at the Winter OlympicsCredit: AP
Kennedy admitted he put his own team through a lot during the tournamentCredit: EPA
Advertisement
And they made sure their critics heard about it.
The tournament descended into chaos during the round-robin stage when Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Canada vice-skip Kennedy of touching the stone twice after releasing it down the ice.
Kennedy responded with a furious, expletive-filled outburst as tensions boiled over.
But the Canadians regrouped and powered their way to Olympic glory.
An emotional Kennedy said, “It means the world to me to see my teammates with a medal around their neck.
“I don’t know if people will ever understand what we went through this week as a team, what I put them through as a team.
“I let my emotions get the best of me. I stood up for my teammates. I’ll never back down from that.
“We moved on, we moved forward, and we did something amazing, and a weaker team would have fallen flat on their face.”
Sweden accused Canada of ‘double touching’ where contact is made with the stone after releasing the handleCredit: AP
Skip Brad Jacobs was even more defiant as he aimed at those who questioned Canada’s integrity.
He blasted, “For anyone who called us cheaters, for anyone who said negative things about Marc Kennedy, about us, about Canada, about our families, I hope the image of us standing on top of the podium, smiling ear to ear with our gold medals, is burned into your brain forever.
“When people were using outrageous words like ‘cheating’ about our team, I guarantee you that only motivated us further.”
The controversy did not end there. Further accusations of double-touching followed, and Canada even slipped to defeat against Switzerland before steadying themselves for a stunning run to gold.
Curling chiefs initially stationed umpires at the hog line to monitor potential fouls before reverting back to the sport’s traditional system of players policing themselves.
Jacobs added, “It was a little bit of a mess. It’s a brand new rule that needs a deep dive. Hopefully we as players can help make sure this kind of nonsense doesn’t happen again.”
The triumph marks Canada’s first men’s curling gold since Sochi 2014 — when they also beat Britain in the final, with Jacobs as skip.
It is also Jacobs’ first Olympics since that victory, having failed to come through the Canadian trials for the 2018 and 2022 Games.
From public enemy No. 1 to Olympic champions — Canada made sure the final word was theirs.
News
Sh0cking Confession: A surprising admission Mackenzie Shirilla made while serving time in prison has now been made public
A former inmate has claimed that The Crash killer Mackenzie Shirilla made a shocking confession while behind bars. Convicted killer Mackenzie Shirilla reportedly confessed to her fellow inmates that she purposefully killed her boyfriend and friend, despite claiming the opposite in her shocking Netflix documentary The Crash. Anastasia, a former inmate at the Ohio Reformatory […]
Graphic Evidence: As jurors reacted to ch!lling aut0psy photos, Karmelo Anthony reportedly kept his head down and continued writing
Jurors were visibly shocked as graphic autopsy photos of Texas teen Austin Metcalf, including his eviscerated heart, were shown during the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony — who averted his eyes from the grim evidence. Some of the jury members gasped and one woman put her hand over her mouth as pictures were displayed of Metcalf’s body, […]
Jury Sh0ck: Jurors in the Karmelo Anthony case were stunned by graphic aut0psy photos while he continued writing one thing on paper with his head down
Jurors were visibly shocked as graphic autopsy photos of Texas teen Austin Metcalf, including his eviscerated heart, were shown during the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony — who averted his eyes from the grim evidence. Some of the jury members gasped and one woman put her hand over her mouth as pictures were displayed of Metcalf’s body, […]
If She Gets Out: Mackenzie Shirilla has allegedly made careful plans for life beyond pr!son despite uncertainty about her future
At her sentencing, Mackenzie Shirilla was told there’s a high change she will never leave prison. In a scathing vote of no confidence, the judge said she didn’t feel it necessary to give Shirilla the highest term available, because she didn’t ever think she would be granted parole. This moment was shown in The Crash […]
Heartbreaking Words: “My son isn’t here anymore because a boy got angry,” Austin Metcalf’s mother said through tears in a newly released video
“Just because the kid was mad, my son is not here anymore and I don’t understand it.” — Meghan Metcalf, mother of slain high school student Austin Metcalf A high school student has been charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of another student at a track meet in Texas, police said. The incident occurred […]
“My son is gone because a boy got angry, and I still don’t understand why”: Austin Metcalf’s mother broke down in tears in a new video released by her husband
“Just because the kid was mad, my son is not here anymore and I don’t understand it.” — Meghan Metcalf, mother of slain high school student Austin Metcalf A high school student has been charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of another student at a track meet in Texas, police said. The incident occurred […]
End of content
No more pages to load
