Jennifer Jones wins world curling championship
Last Updated: Sunday, March 30, 2008 | 4:45 PM ET
CBC Sports
Jennifer Jones added a couple more memorable shots to her highlight reel en route to her first world curling championship Sunday in Vernon, B.C.
The Winnipeg native defeated China 7-4 to give Canada consecutive world championship wins for the first time since 2000-01. Kelly Scott won last year's crown.
Team Canada's skip Jennifer Jones shouts to her sweepers during Sunday's final as China third, Yin Liu, looks on.
(Jeff Bassett/Canadian Press)
Canada won 11 of 14 games during the week and avenged losses in both the round robin and Page playoff to China. The Canadians were good and fortunate in Saturday's semfinal, coming back from the brink with a 9-8 win over Japan.
It was the first appearance in a world final for Jones. Her rink includes third Cathy Overton-Clapham, second Jill Officer, and lead Dawn Askin. All shot above 85 per cent.
"I thought we came out and played great from the start to the finish and we haven't done that all week," Jones told CBC Sports. "Those girls played great and made my job easy and I'm so thrilled right now."
China, aggressive during the week, appeared tentative at times in a bid to win the country's first world curling championship. Bingyu Wang's rink finished 10-3.
After their opponents scored one in the opening end with the hammer, Canada took advantage of two misses by China in the second end to score three.
"We got the three in the second end and [were] a really good defensive team when we had to be and were just never really in trouble after that," Jones said.
The turning point came on the final shot of the seventh end, with Canada leading 4-3. Jones's rock worked its way through a crowded house for a raised takeout for two.
Jones scored four on one of the famous shots in curling history to take the 2005 Tournament of Hearts but struggled at the worlds that year in Scotland.
"You never know how many chances you're going to get to play at a world championship and last time was such a disappointment for us and we really wanted it so bad and it's unbelievable. I'm speechless, really," she said.
It was the 15th women's world championship since 1979 for Canada. While Canada has hosted the event nine times previously, only Marilyn Bodogh was able to win on home soil (twice) before Jones.
Edmonton's Kevin Martin will try to give Canada double world championships for the second consecutive year. The men's worlds begin April 5 in Grand Forks, N.D.
