Canadian roundup: Men’s curling and women’s hockey worlds begin

Here are five recent stories featuring Canadian athletes competing at international events.

Women’s Hockey Worlds

Bottom line: Canada played their first two games, losing on Saturday to the USA 4-2, then defeating Russia 4-0 on Sunday.

Photo: @HC_Women Twitter

Photo: @HC_Women Twitter

On Sunday, Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped all nineteen Russian shots to earn a shutout in her first national team appearance. Canada went up 3-0 in the first period thanks to goals by Caroline Ouellette, Laura Fortino, and Courtney Birchard. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin would add the fourth Canadian goal in the second period as the Canadians outshot the Russians 42-19. Canada’s next game is against Finland on Tuesday to close out preliminary round play.

Men’s Curling Worlds

Bottom line: Skip Pat Simmons and Team Canada are the only unbeaten rink at Men’s World Curling Championships in Halifax.

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Wins over the USA, China, and Sweden have propelled Canada to atop the standings. Norway, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic are all tied at 2-and-1. The Canadian team includes skip Pat Simmons, third John Morris, second Carter Rycroft, and lead Noland Thiessen. Canada continues early on Monday, with a 9:30 am game against the Czech Republic in draw six.

Figure Skating Worlds Conclude

Bottom line: Canada finished the figure skating worlds with two medals, a bronze in ice dance and a gold in pairs, plus an impressive a fifth-place finish in men’s competition for 16-year-old Nam Nguyen.

READ: Two medals for Canada from figure skating worlds in Shanghai
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Jesolo Trophy, Artistic Gymnastics

Bottom line: Canada won bronze at the Jesolo Trophy senior team final on Saturday, placing behind the champions USA and silver medallists Italy. On Sunday, Ellie Black added a bronze in the vault while Sabrina Gill took bronze in the uneven bars. The top Canadian in the individual all-around was Isabela Onyshko, who placed 11th.

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Isabela Onyshko of Canada competes at 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, SCO.

Athletics

Bottom line: Shawn Barber, 20-years-old, cleared 5.90m at Texas Relays to set a new outdoor Canadian record, breaking his old mark of 5.71m.