Canada wins gold before another sold out crowd at Memorial Gardens

A home ice win for Canada’s Jennifer Jones at the 2018 Ford World Women’s Curling Championship in North Bay.

Her Team Canada rink won 7-6 in 11 ends over Sweden at a sold out Memorial Gardens yesterday (Sunday).

“Just to be World Champion, you just pinch yourself,” she says. “We just feel so privileged to be able to do it, and to do it back in Canada. Obviously it was our last Worlds with Jill (Officer) and to end off our career together with a World Championship win in this amazing city of North Bay with these great fans, that means the world to us.”

Officer, the team’s second is stepping back from competitive curling and becomes the team’s alternate next season, but is going out on top.

“It feels wonderful, I don’t even know if I have the words to describe it, I just can’t believe… I can’t believe this ending to my career,” she said fighting back tears.

After winning Olympic gold, Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg says it’s been a great season for her team.

“I’m crazy proud of my girls and how they performed, it was an unbelievable feeling to play in front of this crowd. The only thing that would have topped this, is to win, but I’m still proud,” she says.

With a new attendance record for a world women’s event set at 69,391, Curling Canada’s Terry Morris says it’s what happened before the event that made it successful.

“The tickets were almost sold out before the event started, or well on the way,” he says.

But, that’s not all.

“The community involvement in this event, from the sponsorship right down to the volunteers getting behind it, is really what put it over the top,” he adds.

The crowd for the final was 3,919.

PHOTO (ABOVE): Canada lead Dawn McEwen, second Jill Officer, third Kaitlyn Lawes, skip Jennifer Jones, left to right, hold up the trophy after the gold medal final game win over Sweden at the World Women’s Curling Championship Sunday, March 25, 2018 in North Bay, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson