Scotland reach final to clinch GB Paralympic spot

Hugh Nibloe and Charlotte McKenna, the Scottish duo, triumphed over South Korea to reach Sunday’s final of the World Wheelchair Curling Mixed Doubles Championships on home soil.

The 6-5 victory in Stevenston also guarantees Great Britain’s participation in the Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina, where it will debut.

Scotland’s performances over the previous three years made it clear that Britain was already qualified for the team event.

At the 2022 Games in Beijing, Nibloe and McKenna knew they needed to win a medal to earn one of the seven spots in the standings.

They finished second in their pool before beating Czechia 10-4 in the quarter-finals and coming from 4-1 down against the Koreans to score two in the final set. They were unbeaten in the group stages.

In the gold medal contest on Sunday, GB will take on Japan.

The weight that has come off our shoulders now is enormous, said Nibloe, “I guess it’s been at the back of our minds all week that Paralympic qualification was primarily what we were here for, but we didn’t think at any point that we would have had to make the final to guarantee that qualification.”

“We’re delighted to see that seven wheelchair curlers will compete in the Paralympics in the coming year.