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Read about Canada’s gold medal on Day 7:
Canada’s wheelchair curling team advanced to the gold-medal game at the Milano-Cortina Paralympics after engineering a final-end comeback against South Korea for an 8-7 win on Friday.
The undefeated Canadians trailed for much of the game until pulling off a steal of three points in the eighth for the shocking win at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
Led by veteran skip Mark Ideson, Canada will face two-time defending champion China in Saturday’s final.
“We had been eyeing it up for a few rocks. I actually thought the Koreans were going to play it on their last, so if I hadn’t played it then they probably would have done,” Ideson said.
“So we just thought we might as well take a crack at it and see if we can get the roll, and it worked out.”
WATCH | Canada steals 3 in final end to reach gold-medal game:
Canada steals 3 in the final end to stun South Korea and advance to Paralympic gold-medal match
Mark Ideson’s Canadian rink stole three points in the final end to defeat South Korea 8-7 in the semifinals of the Milano-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games. Canada will face China in the gold-medal match on Saturday.
Canada started strong with Ideson putting his team up 2-0 after the first end. South Korea quickly responded to tie the game in the second before stealing two points in the third for a 4-2 lead.
Ideson made a hit-and-stick for a single in the fourth end, and Canada stole the fifth to tie the game at four apiece. But the South Koreans answered again, scoring three more in the sixth end.
Canada scored a single in the seventh, leaving South Korea with a 7-5 lead heading into the final end with the hammer.
The stage was then set for Canada’s improbable victory.
“The odds are not good in that scenario. But you know what? We’re a team that never gives up, we stay with it, we stay in it,” Ideson said. “We keep trying to make shots and keep trying to use the information we’ve learned throughout the game to play right to the last stone.”
Canada’s rink, which also includes lead Collinda Joseph, second Ina Forrest, third Jon Thurston and alternate Gilbert Dash, made Paralympic history by becoming the first team ever to go 9-0 in the preliminary round.
The team’s unblemished round-robin campaign included a 9-4 win over defending champion China.
“We’re going to bring everything we have for China tomorrow. Obviously, they’re No. 1 in the world for a reason. They’re an excellent team, but we’re going to be hard to beat tomorrow.”
WATCH | Ideson discusses journey to 2nd Paralympic gold-medal game:
Canadian skip Mark Ideson gets emotional discussing his journey to a 2nd Paralympic gold-medal game
Canadian skip Mark Ideson spoke with CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux after stealing three points in the final end to advance to the Paralympic wheelchair curling gold medal match.
China advanced earlier with a 7-6 win over Sweden.
Canada has won a wheelchair curling medal at every Paralympics since the sport’s addition in 2006, winning the first three tournaments before taking bronze in the last two.
“We’ve been kind of angling on the bronze medal, so it’d be fantastic to get back to the top of the podium, and get the gold,” Forrest, the team’s second, said after the match.
“We know we’re at the gates, so we have to bring the best game we can and prepare it again to just play right down to the final stone.”
Canada to play for Para ice hockey gold
Later Friday, Canada’s Para ice hockey team earned a 4-2 semifinal win over China to advance to the gold-medal game.
Dominic Cozzolino scored the go-ahead goal 8:53 into the third period, with Liam Hickey adding the insurance goal less than two minutes later. Tyler McGregor scored Canada’s first two goals in the opening period.
The Canadians will face the United States — which defeated Czechia 6-1 in the other semifinal — for gold on Sunday.
WATCH | Canada advances to Para ice hockey final:
Canada advances to gold medal Para ice hockey final as McGregor scores twice in win over China
Two goals by Tyler McGregor led Canada to a 4-2 victory over China Friday in Para hockey semifinal action at Milano Cortina 2026.
Canada won silver in each of the last two Paralympics, losing both finals to th U.S. They won their only gold medal in Para ice hockey in 2006.
Eriksson edged off giant slalom podium
Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith placed fourth in the men’s giant slalom visually impaired event.
The duo logged a total time of two minutes, 10.03 seconds, (1:03.69 in Run 1 and 1:06.34 in Run 1), coming up just 0.12 seconds short of the podium.
Austria’s Johannes Aigner successfully defended his gold from Beijing 2022, with Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli earning silver, and Michal Golas of Poland rounding out the podium with bronze.
Eriksson, of Kimberley, B.C., and Smith, of Ottawa, are making their Paralympics debut and have already secured silver in downhill and bronze in super-G at the Milano-Cortina Games.
Alexis Guimond, from Gatineau, Que., posted a DNF in his second run of the men’s giant slalom standing category after posting the fifth-best time (1:06.45) in his first run.
Merrickville, Ont., native Brian Rowland placed 17th in the men’s giant slalom sitting category.
Arendz misses out on 15th Paralympics medal
In biathlon, veteran Paralympian and Hartsville, P.E.I., native Mark Arendz finished fourth in the men’s sprint pursuit standing category.
The 36-year-old incurred a shooting penalty in his first round, but bounced back with a clean second.
Arendz, in his fifth Paralympics after debuting at Vancouver 2010, has amassed 14 career Paralympic medals, including two at Milano-Cortina — silver in individual standing and bronze in 10-kilometre interval start classic.
Chinese star Jiayun Cai topped the podium, winning his third gold of the 2026 Games. Ukraine’s Grigorii Vovchynskyi came in second, just two-10ths of a second behind Cai. Despite three shooting penalties, Germany’s Marco Maier took bronze.
In the women’s sprint pursuit standing final Salmon Arm, B.C., native Wilkie claimed gold in on Friday, Brittany Hudak, of Prince Albert, Sask., placed ninth.
Derek Zaplotinsky, of Smoky Lake, Alta., placed 20th in the men’s sprint pursuit sitting category.
Turner unable to grab 2nd snowboard medal
Snowboarder Tyler Turner was unable to crack a podium position in men’s banked slalom.
Turner, a native of Campbell River, B.C., posted a best-time of 1:00.66 to finish sixth in the event.
The 37-year-old earned bronze in the snowboard cross event at Milano-Cortina.
