Three-time Paralympian skips Quebec to national wheelchair curling title

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. – Carl Marquis’ Quebec team scored in bunches Saturday in a 10-6 win over Northern Ontario for the gold medal at the 2026 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships.

The victory capped an undefeated week for the Quebec squad which also included Sébastien Boisvert, François Lacourse, Johanne Mathieu and Noémie Gagné.

‘’It’s really exciting, especially at home and undefeated,’’ said Marquis, a three-time Paralympian in wheelchair racing between 1996 and 2004 and now a rising star on the ice sheets. ‘’I’m really happy for my team. It’s emotional.’’

The final was a rematch of last year’s title game against Douglas Dean’s Northern Ontario rink, but this time Quebec seized control early. A steal of five in the second end put the hosts firmly in front.

Defending champion Northern Ontario responded with four in the third and another steal in the fourth to briefly tie the game. But Quebec answered decisively in the fifth end scoring another five after building a crowded house that Dean could not navigate around.

It is Quebec’s first national title since 2013. Saskatchewan, with Paralympians Gil Dash and Marie Wright took the bronze.

For the second year in a row, the championship took place alongside the Défi sportif AlterGo, an event that hosts nearly 6000 athletes with disabilities.

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Paralympic champion coaching Canada at U21 mixed doubles worlds

Mark Ideson, who skipped Canada to the gold medal at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, is currently in Edmonton to coach Team Canada at the U21 Mixed Doubles Curling World Championships.

The Canadian entry is made up of Brooklyn Ideson (Mark’s daughter) and Owen Henry, playing out of Ilderton, Ont. They won the right to wear the Maple Leaf at a national playdown in Sudbury, Ont. in March. 

The Canadian duo will start their tournament on Tuesday, May 5 against England.