Canada earns bronze at wheelchair curling worlds and spot at 2026 Paralympics

Canada defeated Slovakia 4-2 to earn bronze at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship on Saturday in Stevenston, Scotland.

Curling Canada also announced that the Canadian team secured a berth for Canada in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games.

Team Canada's success in this quadrennial at world championships has secured a spot in the Paralympic field with top qualification points alongside host country, Team Italy, and 2025 world champions, Team China.

The Canadians took a 1-0 edge in the second end before Slovakia tied it in the fourth.

Canada, skipped by Gil Dash of Wolseley, Sask., restored its lead with one point in the sixth, but Slovakia knotted the score once again in the seventh end.

In the eighth and final end, Canada scored two to break the tie and emerge victorious.

The Canadians entered the matchup having lost 5-4 to China in Friday's semifinals.

"All week long, we came out of the gates firing," said Dash in a release from Curling Canada, after medalling in his first World Championship as Team Canada's skip. "Everybody was playing really well, and even though we had a little bit of a lull in the round robin, we came back up and we beat the reigning World Champions, Norway, to get through into the playoffs. I'm proud of our team, and we all feel very proud to be representing Canada."

China cruised past South Korea 14-3 to win gold in Saturday's final.