One step closer to Olympic confirmation
LIVERPOOL, N.S.—The mixed doubles veterans put on a show and clinched a spot as Team Canada Olympians for Milano-Cortina 2026.
Now they simply have to qualify Canada for that spot at the upcoming World Mixed Doubles Championship.
Confused? Hang in there, we’ve got you.
Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant were near-perfect in dismantling the new pairing of Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher by an inflated 8-7 scoreline to win the 2025 Olympic Trials for the mixed doubles discipline.
Homan/Bottcher had been on a roll at Queens Place Emera Centre, and were seeking their fourth consecutive sudden-death elimination victory after winning the semifinal—and the last one would be for all the marbles.
But it was not to be.
Peterman/Gallant, the two-time national champions coached by Laine Peters, were relentless from the outset. They scored three with hammer to open the match, stole the second end, and then snagged a deuce in the fourth for a 6-1 advantage.
Peterman actually missed a tap for three—on a measurement—which would have made it 7-1.
That seemed to give a brief boost to the challengers. Homan/Bottcher’s fifth-end power play saw the tables turn as Brett Gallant flashed a bullet hit facing three opposition counters stuffed behind a corner guard.
Facing four counters, Gallant’s last throw of the end was a successful double-takeout, and when Bottcher’s last draw slid a tad heavy, Peterman made a double of her own to limit the damage to a deuce.
Peterman/Gallant 6, Homan/Bottcher 3.
The leaders then added another deuce, after Peterman was slightly heavy on a tap for three.
Things looked mildly promising for Homan/Bottcher in seven and they really, really, really needed a three-count to make a game of it. However, Rachel Homan missed a tricky tap-no-jam and settled for a deuce, to trail 8-5 coming home.
The winners managed the final end and Homan/Bottcher were essentially given a pair to make the final score 8-7.
“Mixed doubles is crazy, it’s just there’s so many opportunities throughout the game,” said Gallant, who defeated ex-men’s skip Bottcher twice during his team’s run to a perfect 10-0 won/loss record.
“We just kinda played steady throughout, never had one end where we were in really huge trouble —until maybe the seventh” he continued.
“Got a little dicey, but we got a break there, again.”
Bottcher was the only player in the final looking to join the Olympians club.
Homan has competed in the past two Games, Gallant won bronze with Brad Gushue at Beijing 2022 and Peterman and Weagle were members of Jennifer Jones’ squad at PyeongChang 2018.
Now the champs will need to finish decently at the World Mixed Doubles title shoot in Fredericton before they can truly celebrate.
“We understand the responsibility and we wear the uniform with pride,” said Peterman. “We’re going to give our absolute all in Fredericton… and hopefully Italy.”
The Canadian Olympic Trials for traditional men’s and women’s “fours” teams take place in Halifax, Nov. 22-30. Canada no longer restricts curling athletes in selecting one discipline, which means the winners’ fours squads—Peterman’s Team Kaitlyn Lawes and Gallant’s Team Brad Jacobs—can compete in Halifax pending qualification.
Curling will dominate the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, running from Feb. 4 to 22.