WINNIPEG – Only a week remains before Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes flies to South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
“It’s really happening.” Lawes said. “We’re going to the Olympics.”
Lawes is still trying to grasp the fact she’s headed to her second straight Olympics.
“Having been there before and knowing what it feels like to be apart of that bigger team is something that is really important to me,” Lawes said. “And I think that experience is certainly something that’s going to help while we’re in those games in those pressure moments.”
The one big difference from Sochi though is her longtime teammates won’t be there with her as Lawes and the Winnipeg born John Morris attempt to win the first ever Olympic mixed doubles competition.
“It’s gonna feel different.” she said. “I don’t have my girls there with me but I mean what an honour to be apart of the first ever mixed doubles in the Olympics.”
Morris is also a second time Olympian after winning gold with Kevin Martin in Vancouver in 2010.
“He’s a very talented athlete.” said Lawes. “He’s a fierce competitor and very intense but I thrive on that as well, so I think it’ll be a good mix.”
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While Canada will be favoured to win the four-player curling events in Pyeongchang, Canada has never won the World Championship in mixed doubles in the 10 years the event has been staged.
“The Olympics is going to be a tough field.” Lawes said. “All these teams have played in the World Championships before so they have that mixed doubles experience. What we have is a lot of big game experience though. So I think that’s going to be something that we can take, but it’s going to be tough.”
“I think anyone can win a medal and anyone can take home that gold but we’re going to fight hard to try and bring it home to Canada.”
Their first game at the Olympics is exactly two weeks away as the mixed doubles competition will actually start the day before the opening ceremonies.
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