Weagle and Kennedy tabbed as Canadian mixed doubles backups for Beijing Olympics
Rachel Homan and John Morris are Canada's representatives
Veteran curlers Marc Kennedy and Lisa Weagle will serve as backups in the event an injury or positive COVID-19 test forces a change to the Canadian mixed doubles roster before the start of the Beijing Games.
Rachel Homan and John Morris, currently training in isolation in Canmore, Alta., were named as Canada's mixed doubles representatives last week.
Kennedy and Weagle are listed as alternates on the Canadian entries in the four-player competitions. Kennedy is the fifth on Team Brad Gushue and Weagle is a member of the five-player Team Jennifer Jones.
"Team Jones and Team Gushue are really supportive of a mixed doubles contingency plan," Pfeifer said Friday.
Mixed doubles round-robin play begins Feb. 2 at the Ice Cube, two days before the opening ceremony. Medal games are set for Feb. 8, one day before men's team play begins and two days before the start of women's team competition.
Once the mixed doubles team lineup is submitted on Feb. 2, it cannot change, Pfeifer said. An injury or positive test after that date would result in a default since alternates are not used in the discipline, he added.
Morris won gold with Kaitlyn Lawes at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in the Olympic debut for mixed doubles. Lawes throws third stones on the Jones team.
WATCH | Homan, Morris discuss representing Canada at the Beijing Olympics:
Jones won gold at the 2014 Sochi Games and Gushue won gold at the Turin Games in 2006. They earned return Olympic appearances by skipping their teams to victory at Canada's Olympic trials last November in Saskatoon.
Homan skipped the Canadian women's entry in Pyeongchang but did not make the podium. Men's skip Kevin Koe also missed out on a medal in 2018.
Homan and Morris have won four of their last six mixed doubles competitions together and 45 of their last 49 games as a duo overall.
"The same thing goes for the mixed doubles athletes should anyone test positive on the four-person side, potentially staying longer and serving in a support role there," Pfeifer told The Canadian Press from Canmore.
Canada, Sweden, Great Britain and Norway are some of the headliners in the 10-team Olympic mixed doubles field.
