CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The Canadian men’s curling team launched their Olympic redemption quest with a nail-biting 7-6 victory over Germany that required an extra end during Wednesday’s opening round-robin session. Skip Brad Jacobs, returning to Olympic ice for the first time since his gold medal performance in Sochi 2014, delivered a clutch final stone that secured the hard-fought win.
The dramatic conclusion saw Jacobs execute perfect precision under immense pressure, deftly removing a German stone from the house while positioning his own rock perfectly in the button for the decisive point. “It’s been a long time for me—I’m cherishing every moment of this,” an emotional Jacobs remarked post-game. “This is spectacular.”
Germany had forced the extra end with a remarkable two-point play on the final shot of the tenth end, tying the score at 6-6 and extending the contest in the evening’s final match at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
The session featured multiple tight contests, with Italy delivering an upset victory over defending champion Sweden by identical 7-6 margin amid roaring home crowd support. Britain dominated China 9-4 with an end to spare, while the United States narrowly defeated Czechia 8-7.
This opening victory carries particular significance for Canada, traditionally considered curling’s dominant force. The nation faces heightened pressure following the mixed doubles team’s failure to reach semifinals in Cortina. The international curling landscape has undergone significant transformation over the past decade, with Canada’s last Olympic medal in men’s curling remaining Jacobs’ gold from twelve years ago. Since then, Sweden and the United States have captured gold medals while Canada managed only one bronze.
Teammate Marc Kennedy addressed the evolving competitive landscape: “People need to understand how difficult international curling is these days. These teams are good, these players have been around a long time. Many come to Canada to refine their game, and they now match or exceed most Canadian teams. That expectation of automatic medal contention has disappeared—it’s a tough battle out there.”
The women’s curling competition commences Thursday, following Sweden’s mixed doubles victory over the United States in Tuesday’s final.