Canada’s Brad Jacobs claimed a second consecutive victory at the Pan Continental Curling Championship by defeating Marc Pfister of the Philippines 10-3 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, defending champion Rachel Homan suffered an 11-5 loss to Japan before bouncing back with a 10-2 victory over New Zealand later in the day.
The Pan Continental serves as a regional qualifying event for the 2026 men’s and women’s world championships. Canada has already secured a spot in the women’s world championship as the host nation in Calgary from March 14-22.
The top four countries in the men’s Pan Continental will join the United States as the host in the upcoming men’s championship scheduled for March 27 to April 4 in Ogden City, Utah.
Jacobs, along with Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, and Ben Hebert, dominated against the Philippines, led by Pfister who has previously curled for Switzerland. The Canadian team is preparing for the Winter Olympics trials in Halifax in November and views the Pan Continental as valuable preparation.
During their match against Japan, Homan’s team struggled, giving up five points in the third end but only managing to score three in the fourth. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t catch up to Satsuki Fujisawa’s team, ultimately conceding the game after seven ends.
Jacobs emphasized the team’s focus on learning and improvement this season, particularly in areas such as communication, clock management, game planning, and decision-making. They are set to face South Korea and New Zealand in their upcoming matches.
Homan, Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, and Sarah Wilkes faced a quick turnaround after winning the Co-op Tour Challenge Grand Slam women’s final in Nisku, Alberta.
The Pan Continental Curling Championship continues to showcase intense competition and strategic gameplay as teams aim for success on the international stage.