Resilience, Depth and Eyes in the Sky - Canada's Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team Rocks On

Canada's Paralympic wheelchair curling team is a force to be reckoned with.

 

Slovakia’s quartet, Adrian Durcek, Radoslav Duris, Karol Sandl and Monika Kunkelova fought valiantly, recovering from a significant early deficit, to take the lead, but the Canadians clawed their way back into the lead.

 

Whatever it takes – Wheelchair Curling brakeman

Left to right: Canada’s Gil Dash and Jon Thurston

 

Canadian Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team's Gilbert Dash, left, and Jon Thurston compete against Slovakia at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Cortina, Italy, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout – CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE, Angela Burger

Gil Dash, summarized the keys to the Canadian team’s success today: communication, self-confidence, persistence and hard work, as a team.

 

“Things are going good and then Slovakia started to claw back. We just talked to each other between ends and between shots, shared Dash.”

 

Dash revealed what they said to encourage each other, as they battled back, with their unbeaten streak, during the Paralympics mixed team curling round robin phase of the tournament on the line.

 

“Just keep trusting the process. Just keep going. Be resilient and work hard at it, and things will come our way,” said Dash.

 

Left to right: Gil Dash and Jon Thurston celebrate

 

Canadian Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team's Gilbert Dash, left, and Jon Thurston compete against Slovakia at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Cortina, Italy, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout – CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE, Angela Burger 

Canada surged to an early lead, scoring two points, in the first end, then adding an additional four points, during the second one.

 

An equally tough and resilient Slovakian team fought back. They scored in the next four ends (2, 1, 1, 2), with no answer from the Canadians, tying the score at six, in the sixth end.

Monika Kunkelova (Slovakia) and Mark Ideson (Canada) give each other props

 

Canadian Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team competes against Slovakia at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Cortina, Italy on March 11, 2026 // L'équipe canadienne de curling en fauteuil roulant paralympique affronte la Slovaquie aux Jeux paralympiques de 2026 à Cortina, en Italie, le 11 mars 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout – CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE, Angela Burger

“Well, we’re definitely a resilient team,” said Canada’s skip, Mark Ideson.

 

He continued, “It can be challenging when you have a big lead early and let a team back in, but Slovakia earned all those points that they got, and put the pressure on us throughout.”

 

The Canadian wheelchair coaching duo, Mick Lizmore and Dana Ferguson, their players’ eyes in the sky, were instrumental, in helping the athletes, with their strategy.

 

Throughout the game, Ferguson and Lizmore also described ice conditions and gave them the specific location of rocks, which they could see, in the overhead view, on their monitors.

 

“They have a lot better viewpoint of what the ice and the end of the sheet looks like with their monitors,” stated Ina Forrest.

 

Forrest further related, “It really helps us out to let us know who’s shot.” “It helps you figure out the weight that you need to throw, knowing exactly where a rock has ended up, on whatever your last throw was.”

 

In the seventh end, Canada scored one point, retaking the lead, 7-6.

 

During the final end, the skilled and tenacious Canadian athletes scored two more points, to seal the victory.

Canada scored two (yellow), in the final end.
Apple iPad CBC Gem app screen snapshot

“Luckily, we continued to go to school throughout the game and were able to make the shots when we needed to in the eighth,” reported Ideson.

 

The mindset of all five Canadian players, including alternate, Gil Dash, who competed like a regular starter, enabled them to eventually achieve their goal.

Canadian Wheelchair Curling Team Celebrates Victory

Left to right: Gil Dash, Ina Forrest, Jon Thurston, Mark Ideson

 

Canadian Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team competes against Slovakia at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Cortina, Italy on March 11, 2026 // L'équipe canadienne de curling en fauteuil roulant paralympique affronte la Slovaquie aux Jeux paralympiques de 2026 à Cortina, en Italie, le 11 mars 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout – CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE, Angela Burger

Even though they had already qualified for the semi-finals, before Wednesday’s game began, they stayed hungry, and did their best to win every time, they wheeled onto the ice.

 

“It didn’t change anything [already qualifying for the playoffs] because you still have to figure out how to win in every game you’re playing,” asserted Ina Forrest.

 

“We don’t want to have a loss at any point, so we’re still playing to win,” she summed up.