WJMDCC 2026
A few days after the curling season ended in the Czech Republic, the second edition of the newly added World Mixed Doubles Championship for juniors (under 21) began in Edmonton, Canada. We were represented by the duo of Sofie Krupičková and Ondřej Blaha. The modest support staff consisted of a single person: outgoing national coach Wad Scoffin. Unlike the adult championships, this time the broadcasts were streamed via YouTube in the classic split-screen format. The large field of twenty-nine teams surprisingly did not include the previously announced Russian pair, who, according to available information, did not receive Canadian entry visas and therefore did not arrive. The only group of eight out of the four was the one featuring the Czech pair. In this young category, it is not easy to pick favorites, yet it seemed certain that the Czechs would finish in the top half of the standings, alongside the Americans, Italians, and Japanese. This proved to be the case, and apparently the very first match played against the Italians—which ended in an extra end with a win for our pair—proved decisive for their advancement hopes. Krupičková and Blaha defeated all their opponents except Japan, and since they had a better DSC than the Italians and Japanese—with whom they shared the same record—it was enough to advance to the playoffs. Their quarterfinal opponent was Japan again, as the seeding system for doubles did not take into account who had already played whom in the group stage. In the match, the Japanese opponents were more precise and quite confidently secured their advancement to the semifinals, then to the finals, and ultimately to the top of the podium. Yuina Miura and Kaito Fujii defeated the Canadian duo of Ideson and Henry in the final and are bringing home gold medals to their country. Our team finished in a tie for fifth to eighth place, significantly improving on their own result from last year.