ABERDEEN, UNITED KINGDOM -- Canada has clinched a spot in the mixed doubles curling competition in next year's Beijing Olympics.
Kerri Einarson and Brad Gushue wrapped up the berth with a 7-6 win over the Czech Republic on Friday at the world mixed doubles championship.
The win pushed Einarson and Gushue to 6-2 and locked up a top-seven finish at the 20-team event, the cutoff for an Olympic berth.
Canada's final round-robin game is later Friday against Russia.
Canada is tied for second with Italy in Group A, behind 7-1 Scotland.
Einarson, from Camp Morton, Man., and Gushue, from St. John's, N.L., scored one in the eighth and final end to edge the Czech Republic's Zuzana Paulova and Tomas Paul.
Gushue and Einarson are trying to become the first Canadian team to win gold in the event's 13-year history. Canada has reached the podium (two silver, one bronze) at the last three editions of the competition.
The top team in each 10-team pool advances to the semifinals. The second- and third-place teams in each pool will cross over and play qualification games.
Competition continues through Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2021.
