Beijing, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The 2023 Wheelchair Curling World Championships finished in Richmond, Canada on the 12th local time, and the Chinese wheelchair curling team successfully defended its title by defeating the host Canadian team 5:2 in the final.
The Chinese team at the award ceremony
A total of 12 teams competed in the World Championships, with China the reigning champions and the Paralympic champions in Pyeongchang and Beijing. The top six teams in the Grand Round Robin advance to the knockout rounds, with the top two teams going straight to the semifinals.
The Chinese team sent the old and new lineup this time, and the fourth base continued to be played by Wang Haitao, the third base Zhang Shuaiyu, the second base Yang Jinqiao, the first base Li Nana, and the replacement Zhang Liangming. In the 11-round round-robin round, China took the lead against the host Canada, won 8-4, won five consecutive wins in the opening round, and ended the round-robin with a five-game winning streak after losing to South Korea in the sixth round, and finally ranked first with 10-1, joining the 9-2 Canadian team to advance to the semifinals. In the semi-finals, they beat Sweden 5:2 to reach the final.
In the final, China led twice and Canada tied twice. However, the Chinese team did not suffer from their mentality and gradually accumulated an advantage in the sixth and eighth games, eventually winning 5:2.
Team member Wang Haitao (front) in the game
"Very happy, very excited, my teammates are great, you can always trust the Chinese wheelchair curling team!" After the game, Zhang Mingming couldn't hide his excitement. Just a year ago, on March 12, Beijing time, he and his teammates defeated Sweden in the final of the "Ice Cube" to achieve the feat of defending the team's Winter Paralympic title.
"It's a pleasure to win the World Championship through the hard work of our whole team, this is my third World Championship title." Wang Haitao sighed after the game. In six years, in addition to two Paralympic gold medals, the Chinese wheelchair curling team has won three World Championships in 2019, 2021 and this year.
Scotland beat Sweden in the third or fourth place final to finish third.
In the wheelchair curling mixed doubles world championships held at the same time, the Chinese team sent a combination of Chen Jianxin and Wang Meng to participate, and the two won all nine games in the group stage. In the knockout stage, they lost to Latvia and Canada, finishing fourth. Latvia defeated the United States in the final to win the championship.
Chen Jianxin (back) and Wang Meng in the game Image from the World Curling Federation
Source: Xinhuanet