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<\/p>\nAustralia’s mixed team curlers Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt have put the devastation of missing the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics behind them in the most emphatic way possible, beating Sweden\u2019s Therese Westman and Robin Ahlberg to claim world championship gold in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
The Aussies missed out on qualifying for the Olympics by the narrowest possible margin in December by losing in the semifinals of the qualification tournament in Canada.<\/p>\n
However, December’s heartbreak turned quickly into May delight after the pair recorded victory 8-4.<\/p>\n
“It’s amazing \u2026 it feels really good,” Gill told World Curling.<\/p>\n
“Oh gosh, I’m going to get emotional.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really tough in December to just miss out on qualifying [for the Olympics].<\/p>\n
“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.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Australian pair faced a tough battle but were always on top. (Supplied: World Curling\/Ansis Ventins)<\/p>\n
After swapping singles over the first two ends, the game exploded in the third, when Gill picked out two Swedish stones to score three and take a 4-1 lead.<\/p>\n
Westman’s pinpoint stone in a crowded house scored the Swedes two to reduce the deficit to 4-3 at the end of the fourth and the mid-session break.<\/p>\n
“They took it to us, it was a tight game,” Hewitt said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The first few ends we were just playing a little bit conservative while we learned the ice a bit.<\/p>\n
“Then we tried to play a few more tougher shots to secure the bonus points.”<\/p>\n
Australia were in danger of losing points when they had the hammer immediately after the break, only for another superb stone from Gill stole a single, with the Swedish team failing to take advantage of a power play in the sixth, scoring just one point.<\/p>\n
The Aussies made no such mistake on their powerplay though \u2014 they hadn’t given up a steal when calling the bonus all week \u2014 and scored three to secure a famous victory.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Dean Hewitt and Tahli Gill wave to the small Australian contingent in the crowd. (Supplied: World Curling\/Ansis Ventins)<\/p>\n
“We got a little bit of a break in our powerplay to get three rather than two, but basically, we’re just happy with staying with it every end the whole way through.”<\/p>\n
It is Australia’s first ever world championship curling gold medal and comes just 12 months after the pair earned bronze in in Fredericton, Canada<\/a> \u2014 an astonishing feat given Australia has no dedicated curling facility.<\/p>\n “Let that sink in,” World Curling commentator Sander R\u00f8lv\u00e5g said.<\/p>\n “A nation without a dedicated curling club has just climbed to the very top of the world.<\/p>\n “It’s not just a victory, it’s a statement about what’s possible if you really want it.”<\/p>\n “Thank you to everyone back home,” said Hewitt, who was also named MVP of the tournament following the semifinals.<\/p>\n “We couldn’t have done it without you.”<\/p>\n Why were Australia not at the 2026 Winter Olympics?<\/p>\n Heading into the 2026 Winter Olympics, Gill and Hewitt had risen to become the number one-ranked pair in the world.<\/p>\n That included a run whereby the pair won a bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships, Australia’s first global curling medal.<\/p>\n