Weekend Reads Canada wins mixed doubles gold medal

© The Canadian Press PYEONGCHANG, Korea, Republic Of - The first Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles curling goes to Canada.

Canada's John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes downed defending world champions Jenny Perret and Martin Rios of Switzerland 10-3 in the final.

Ottawa's Morris and Winnipeg's Lawes claimed the second Olympic gold medals of their careers and Canada's third of the Pyeongchang Games.

Lawes was third for the Jennifer Jones team that won women's team gold in 2014. Morris was vice for Kevin Martin when they took the men's team title in 2010.

Mixed doubles curling made its Olympic debut in Pyeongchang.

Canada's Bloemen wins speedskating silver

GANGNEUNG, Korea, Republic Of - Canadian long-track speedskater Ted-Jan Bloemen has won a silver medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Bloemen was edged off the top of podium in the men's 5,000 metres by legendary Dutchman Sven Kramer, who broke his own Olympic record to take his third straight gold in the event in six minutes 9.76 seconds. The world-record holder in the event, Bloemen finished in 6:11.616. He edged Norway's Sverre Lunde Pedersen Bloemen was edged off the top of podium in the men's 5,000 metres by legendary Dutchman Sven Kramer, who broke his own Olympic record to take his third straight gold in the event in six minutes 9.76 seconds.

Lawes and Morris have both won Olympic gold in men’s and women’s curling in the past, but now they’ll play for the first ever gold in mixed doubles . The win also guarantees Canada a medal in the PyeongChang games

Along with serving as a calming influence for his partner, Morris played a terrific game for Canada . The 39-year-old firefighter from Canmore, Alta., has fallen in love with the mixed doubles game and now he’s a win away from winning a gold medal .

After trading deuces with the Swiss in the first two ends, the Canadians scored a pivotal four in the third to lead 6-2.

The Canadians were outshooting the Swiss 92 per cent to 63 after five ends and led 8-3.

The Swiss were setting up for a multi-point end in the sixth, but the Canadians played defence and left Perret with a tough hit to score points.

They gave up a steal of two and shook hands.

After Morris made a hit and roll to score lay four in the third, Rios sent an attempted hit through the rings. A delicate raise by Lawes with Canada's last stone of the end scored quadruple points.

Canada held the Swiss to one in the fourth and scored two in the fifth for an 8-3 lead.

The shotmaking abilities of Morris, 39, and Lawes, 29, overcame their lack of experience together as a team. They'd curled few mixed doubles games together prior to winning January's trials.

They topped the preliminary round with a 6-1 record and beat Norway 8-4 in the semifinal to advance to the championship game. As the top seed in the playoffs, Canada had hammer to start the final.