Australian mixed doubles curling duo Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt have erased some of their Olympic heartbreak by becoming world champions for the first time.
Gill and Hewitt missed direct qualification for this year's Winter Olympics in Italy by one place, with an uncharacteristically poor 15th-placed finish at the 2024 world titles a stumbling block.
They then again fell achingly-short in the final 16-team qualification tournament last December in Canada, topping the pool but blowing a double chance in the finals with two teams booking at spot at the Milan-Cortina Games.
But Queenslander Gill and Victorian Hewitt showed they belong among the best this week in Geneva, Switzerland, turning last year's world titles mixed doubles bronze medal into gold.
It's Australia's first curling world crown.
Losing only one match-up to the Netherlands through the competition as they headed their pool, the duo overcame defending champions Italy 7-6 in the semi-finals.
They then posted a convincing 8-4 victory over Sweden's Therese Westman and Robin Ahlberg in the final.
The teams were neck-and-neck before Gill managed a stellar clearing in the third end to collect three points for her team to take a 4-1 lead
Sweden called a Power Play in the sixth end but instead of making a multiple score, they were contained and Westman was eventually forced to draw for just one point, with the Aussies up 5-4.
Australia seized the decisive moment in the seventh end after calling their own Power Play.
A missed double take‑out by Westman gave Gill the opportunity to draw for three points, extending Australia’s lead to 8-4 with their opponents unable to mount a comeback in the final end.
"It’s amazing. It feels really good," said 26-year-old Gill, with Hewitt named men's mixed tournament MVP.
"It was really tough in December, so we decided to come out here and have a lot of fun. We just wanted to do our best - and we did, so I’m really happy."
Their feat is even more incredible given there's no dedicated curling facility in Australia with the pair, who finished 10th at the Beijing Olympics, forced to train overseas.
