All-Canadian strength on display at Leduc Wheelchair Curling events

It was a back-to-back all-Canadian finish at the Mixed and Mixed Doubles Wheelchair Curling Events at the Leduc Curling Club in Leduc, Alta., Jan. 11-17, with Canadian teams taking the finals in both competitions despite a strong international field.

Team Canada Red, which will be heading to the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games, claimed gold in the mixed event, while Team Wright/Mulligan came out on top in the mixed doubles event.

While the mixed four-player event made its debut in Leduc this year, it was the fourth annual mixed doubles tournament since launching in 2022. The event was originally created to generate more domestic competition for wheelchair curling in Canada, and its growth each year shows it’s succeeding.

Teams from Great Britain, the United States, Japan, and South Korea joined the Canadian teams on the ice, including reigning world mixed doubles champion Team Japan and Paralympics-bound teams in both disciplines.

“The level of play has increased over the years for sure,” said Chrissy Molnar, who finished second in both events. “I’ve only played in this tournament three times, but I can see a difference in the level of competition, especially with international teams joining the mix.”

“It’s nice to see where you compare,” said Reid Mulligan, who finished second in the mixed event and won gold in mixed doubles. “The international teams travel from so far, so you know they must be good. Seeing how these teams play and how they approach the game gives you a really good idea of where you’re at.”

Despite a strong international showing, Canadian teams rose to the challenge in both events.

For Molnar, competing against Team Canada Red gave her provincial team, Team Canada White, some confidence heading into the rest of the season.

“Even though we didn’t come out with a win, we still feel very confident in how we played,” she said. “It made everyone dig really deep and try to play their best, so it was a good learning experience. It was great practice for all of us to learn more about how we work as a team.”

The event kicked off with a classification event that further points to the growth of the sport. Seven athletes, including six Canadians, were classified thanks to the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s classification grant.

A special thank you to the classifiers, Dr. Emelie Newell, Dr. Joshua Park, and National Program Physiotherapist Sari Shatil, for their hard work in making this happen.

“Two all-Canadian finals exceeded our expectations going into the event and speak to the growing depth and strength of the National Wheelchair Curling Program and the broader Canadian wheelchair curling community,” said Kyle Paquette, Director, National Wheelchair Program at Curling Canada. “Leduc is becoming synonymous with wheelchair curling thanks to their generosity and the amazing community volunteers supporting the event.

“As the event continues to grow, we also see the impact it’s having on the local community with more and more volunteers and spectators each year. We look forward to future opportunities to bring wheelchair curling to Leduc, and we always feel at home there.”

The National Program extends its immense gratitude to the City of Leduc and its ongoing generosity through hosting grants and community volunteerism. The city continues to go above and beyond in its support for inclusivity and parasport and is one of the Program’s key partners. Leduc mayor Lars Hansen attended the event to show his support over opening weekend.

The Leduc Curling Club is one of the few facilities across the country that can host such a large wheelchair curling event and do so with such warmth and community strength. Another thank you to the community at the Leduc Curling Club and manager Belinda Harrish for making the event a hit each year.

Live scores and live streaming by CurlingZone kept supporters across Canada up to date with the event and are still available here.