Australia had never sent curlers to compete in the Winter Olympics. Not exactly known for its domination in winter sports, the country didn’t even have a dedicated facility where a curling team could train.
So to prepare for Beijing, Dean Hewitt and Tahli Gill — Australia’s first mixed doubles curling team — went to Canada. There, experts like John Morris, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, could coach them to hold their own at the highest level.
That preparation in Canada set the stage for a confrontation on Sunday between students and teacher: Hewitt and Gill’s final game at the Olympics was against the Canadian team of Morris and Rachel Homan.