Gill and Hewitt lift Australia to first world curling title

SYDNEY (Agencies): From narrowly missing out on Olympic qualification to clinching Australia’s first-ever world title in curling, Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt said the journey had come full circle after they won the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. Gill and Hewitt secured the title on Saturday with an 8–4 victory over Sweden’s Therese Westman and Robin Ahlberg, delivering a historic moment for Australian curling. The pair had failed to qualify directly for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics after a 15th-place finish at the 2024 World Championships. They fell short again in December, losing ⁠to Czech Republic and South Korea in the final stages of the Olympic qualification tournament in Canada, despite holding the world number one ranking at the time. “It’s amazing. It feels really good,” Gill told World Curling. “Oh gosh, I’m going to get emotional. It was really tough in December to just miss out on qualifying. So we just came out here and had lots of fun. We just wanted to do our best, and we did, so we’re really happy and proud.” The final took a significant ⁠turn after Sweden called a power play in the sixth end but were restricted to a single point, leaving the Australians ahead 5–4. Australia made the decisive move in the seventh end, using their power play to full effect after Westman failed with a double take-out, leaving ⁠Gill to draw for three points and put the match beyond Sweden at 8–4. “The first few ends we were just playing conservatively while we learned the ice a bit. Then we tried ⁠to play a few tougher shots to secure the bonus points,” Hewitt said. “They took it to us, it was a tight game. We got a little bit ⁠of a break in our power play, scoring three rather than two, but basically, we’re just happy.” Australia’s win carries added significance given the country does not have a dedicated curling club.