25 February 2013 Sochi, Russia Russia is set to host the World Junior Curling Championships for the first time as the build up to the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games continues. The 2013 World Junior Curling Championships get underway on Thursday 28 February at the Ice Cube Curling Center in Sochi, venue for the curling competitions at the 2014 Games.
Ten junior womens and ten junior mens teams will compete in the event which follows the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championships at the same venue as part of the World Curling Federations testing of the Olympic and Paralympic facilities for curling and wheelchair curling.
The ten womens teams taking part are representing Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Japan, Norway, hosts Russia, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. Last year in Östersund, Sweden, Hannah Fleming led Scotland's successful defence of the title, and three members of that team are returning, with second player Jennifer Dodds replacing over-aged Alice Spence. (To be eligible to play in the World Junior Curling Championships, a player must be less than 21 years of age by the end of the 30th day of June of the year immediately preceding the year in which the championship is to take place.)
To win last year, Scotland beat the Czech Republic, and four members of that silver-medal squad, including skip Zuzana Hajkova, return again this year. Other returning teams include Japan, skipped by Sayaka Yoshimura, who are in the line-up following Japan's win in the Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships, which qualified them for Sochi; Sweden, skipped by Sara McManus; and most of the Norwegian team, including skip Kristine Davanger.
For the first time in twenty-five years, Canada is represented by a squad from British Columbia, led by Corryn Brown, whose previous international experience came when she won bronze at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012 in Innsbruck, while Miranda Solem leads the USA challenge for the first time.
Stephanie Risdal Nielsen skips Denmark this year. Denmark return to the line-up this year after victory in the European Junior Challenge Competition that determines the last available European slot, while Switzerland are skipped by Michelle Gribi, a newcomer at this level.
Hosts Russia have a new-look team this year, skipped by Alina Kovaleva. The ten junior mens teams involved this year are: Canada, China, Czech Republic, Italy, Norway, host Russia, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. Canada won gold last year, and the role of defending the title falls to skip Matthew Dunstone and his team from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Sweden were the beaten finalists last year, and Patric Mabergs who was alternate in 2012 returns with his own team skipped by third Gustav Eskilsson. Scotland beat Norway for bronze in Östersund, and four members of their squad, including skip Kyle Smith, return this season, with Smith's younger brother Cameron coming in at lead.
Of this year's Norwegian team, only skip Eirik Mjøen has previous World Junior Championship experience, having been a member of last year's squad. China men won the men's division of this season's Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships to qualify, and four of their five-strong team, including skip Zhongbao Zhang return from last year's World Championships, where they finished seventh.
Italy are skipped by Amos Mosaner, and they are in the line-up for this event following Italy's success at the European Junior Challenge Competition.
For the Czech Republic, Marek Cernovský has moved up from third last year to skip a team that also has second Jan Zelingr and lead Jakub Splavec returning from last year.
Like their women's team, the Swiss men, skipped by André Neuenschwander are newcomers at this level, while USA's skip Korey Dropkin and third player Thomas Howell return from last year, hoping to improve on USA's fifth place twelve months ago. Hosts Russia are represented by skip Evgeny Arkhipov and his team.
Arkhipov was last involved at this level in 2010 when he was alternate on the Russian team in Flims, Switzerland. The youngest junior mens player on the roster is Italy's alternate Sebastiano Arman who is 16 years old, while the Italian team also includes the oldest male, 21-year-old third player Andrea Pilzer.
Among the women the youngest player is Denmark's alternate Julie Dal Hoegh, who is 13. Remarkably, as in the men, the oldest player also comes from the same team, in this case 21-year-old Danish skip Stephanie Risdal Nielsen.
Round-robin play commences on Thursday 28th February and continues until Thursday 7th March. Thereafter tie-breakers will be held if needed to establish the top four teams. This will be followed by curling's Page Play-off games in which the top two ranked teams face each other, with the winner of that game going direct to the final, and the loser being given a second chance by playing a semi-final against the winner of the Play-off between the team ranked third and fourth. The winner of that sole semi-final goes onto the final to play for gold and silver, and the loser faces the Page 3/4 loser for bronze. These gold and bronze medal finals, for both men and women, take place on Sunday 10th March.
For more information contact: Joanna Kelly & Danny Parker WCF Media Relations media@worldcurling.org Tel: +372 592 442 35 Mikhail Zaytsev Sochi 2014 Press Operations mzaytsev@sochi2014.com Danis Khusnutdinov Sochi 2014 Communication Team media@sochi2014.com
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