On Saturday evening, Canadian Olympic gold medalist Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario officially announced his retirement from four-man curling according to Rogers Sportsnet. However, what might have been as a bit of a surprise is that Jacobs is not going to retire from curling altogether. The men’s gold medal-winning skip from the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi is teaming up with three-time Scotties champion Kerri Einarson of Selkirk, Manitoba in mixed doubles.
Einarson also has prior mixed doubles success. She was the Canadian champion with Brad Gushue of St. John’s, Newfoundland at the 2020 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship in Calgary.
However, Jacobs is not the only Canadian curler who is stepping away from four-person curling to specialize in mixed doubles. He is joined by Canadian Olympic gold medalist John Morris of Winnipeg, Manitoba, three-time Scotties champion Lisa Weagle of Ottawa, Ontario, and two-time Alberta Scotties champion Laura Walker of Edmonton.
Morris won the gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, alongside Kaitlyn Lawes of Winnipeg. Meanwhile, Walker won the 2018 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Leduc, Alberta, alongside Kirk Muyres of St. Gregor, Saskatchewan. Walker and Muyres also won a bronze medal at the 2018 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Ostersund, Sweden. Finally, Weagle will continue to curl with John Epping of Peterborough, Ontario.
