Curlers Walker and Muyres to focus exclusively on mixed doubles for next quad

Scratch two big names off the curling free-agent frenzy board.

Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres will be “focusing completely” on the mixed doubles discipline over the next quadrennial as they aim to represent Canada at the 2026 Milan Olympics.

“Ultimately I just had a hard time getting really excited about anything other than mixed doubles with Kirk,” Walker said. “When he decided to go the same route, it just felt right.”

Walker’s four-player team announced last week that the players would go their separate ways next season. Muyres, who plays second for Matt Dunstone, was in a similar position after his team announced this campaign would be its last.

“We’ve always had fun and we’ve always kind of joked, ‘Why don’t we just play this?’” Walker said of mixed doubles. “Every time we go out we have such a ton of fun, and we finally pulled the plug.”

Walker and Muyres were both regulars at the national team championships but neither player made it to the top of the podium.

However, they won a Canadian title at the 2018 mixed doubles playdowns and took world bronze later that year. Walker and Muyres also won national silver in the discipline in 2016 and added bronze in 2019.

“We have noticed a transition in the mixed game over the last couple of years and a need for a heightened focus and commitment if we want to be the best in the world,” Muyres said in a statement.

“We are excited to now be able to make that commitment to work towards being the best we can be in mixed doubles and help Canada win on the world stage.”

Canada did not reach the podium at last year’s world championship and missed the playoffs altogether at the recent Beijing Olympics.

Walker and Muyres are ranked 11th in Canada.

“It’s a little bit scary to make a commitment like this to be honest,” Walker said. “There’s still not quite as much money in the mixed doubles game. There’s not quite as much support and exposure.

“I think we are hoping to maybe be part of a change in that. I think that we’re quite happy with where we’ve ended up.”

RUSSIA REPLACEMENTS

Spain will serve as a replacement for the Russian entry at next month’s world mixed doubles curling championship.

The World Curling Federation board recently removed the Russian Curling Federation entries for the remainder of the season.

China has also withdrawn from the April 23-30 playdowns in Geneva due to ongoing travel restrictions related to COVID-19, the WCF said Wednesday in a release.

Like Spain, Denmark got the nod to fill the vacancy as the highest-ranked team not previously qualified.