Australian curlers Dean Hewitt and Tahli Gill have claimed a historic first World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship title, defeating Sweden’s Therese Westman and Robin Ahlberg 8–4 in the gold medal match in Geneva, Switzerland.
The victory marks Australia’s first ever world title in curling and an exclamation mark on the recent remarkable Australian winter sport success at the Olympic Games in February. For Gill and Hewitt, it is a powerful response to the disappointment of narrowly missing Olympic qualification in late December, when they were third at the Curling Olympic Qualification Event in Canada, just falling short of securing one of the final two available places for Milano Cortina.
Gill and Hewitt now have two World Championship medals, after claiming bronze and Australia’s first ever medal one year ago.
Australia dominated the round‑robin phase of the championships, finishing top of Group A with an outstanding 8–1 record. Wins over China, Denmark, Estonia, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden secured Australia direct passage to the semi‑finals, with their only loss coming to the Netherlands.
In the semi-final, Gill and Hewitt faced 2026 Olympic bronze medallists Italy in one of the fiercest matches of the tournament. Scores were level at 6–6 after eight ends, forcing an extra end, where the Australians held their nerve to score the decisive single point for a 7–6 victory and a first appearance in a World Championship final.
The gold medal match opened with both teams trading single points through the first two ends before Australia took control in the third. Gill executed a precise take‑out on two Swedish stones to score three points and open a 4–1 lead. Sweden responded in the fourth, with Westman drawing into a crowded house for two points to close the gap to 4–3.
After the mid‑game break, Australia withstood pressure in the fifth end, with Gill producing an angle‑raise take‑out to score a crucial single. Sweden called a Power Play in the sixth but were limited to just one point, reducing the margin to 5–4.
Australia seized the decisive moment in the seventh end after calling their own Power Play. A missed double take‑out by Sweden gave Gill the opportunity to draw for three points, extending Australia’s lead to 8–4. Sweden was unable to mount a comeback in the final end, sealing a landmark victory for the Australians.
Image: Dean Hewitt and Tahli Gill embrace after claiming the World Curling Mixed Doubles Championship (Credit: World Curling)
“It’s amazing. It feels really good,” Gill said. “December was really tough after missing Olympic qualification, so we came here wanting to enjoy ourselves and do our best. To come away with a world title is incredibly special.”
VIS scholarship holder, Hewitt, said the pair took time early in the final to assess conditions before lifting the intensity.
We played conservatively at the start while we worked out the ice, then stepped it up when it mattered. It was a tight game and Sweden pushed us hard, but we’re just incredibly happy with the result.
Gill and Hewitt finished the World Championships with an outstanding 10–1 win–loss record, capped by Hewitt being awarded the Men’s Most Valuable Player honour.
Credit: Olympic Winter Institute Australia (OWIA)
