Estonia's curlers battle for world championship quarterfinals
Estonian curling duo Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill earned a playoff spot in the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in Fredericton, Canada, and the 2026 Winter Olympics, defeating the Czech Republic 6:5 in their final group match.
The top three pairs from each group advance.
After a 10–9 loss Thursday in an extra end to Norway's Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten, Australia secured advancement with seven wins, while Estonia, Norway, Japan, New Zealand, and the U.S. tied with five wins and three losses each. Against the Czechs, Kaldvee and Lill trailed 5–2 after six ends but scored three points in the seventh, tying the game at 5–5.
n the eighth end, Czech player Julie Zelingrova's crucial shot failed, forcing an extra end. In the extra end, with the hammer, Kaldvee scored, clinching a 6–5 win for Estonia. From Group B, Australia advanced to the semifinals with eight wins.
Estonia and the U.S., both with six wins and three losses, moved forward based on the tiebreaker rule. By reaching the top six, Kaldvee and Lill secured a spot at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The quarterfinals start Friday, with Kaldvee and Lill facing Canadians Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant at 4 p.m. Estonian time.
The winner likely faces Italy's Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, Group A winners, in the semifinal.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste, Henrik Laever, Andrew Whyte
