Kerri Einarson returns to Calgary with sights set on women's world curling gold

Kerri Einarson's curling team commences its bid for a women's world title Saturday in an arena where the skip has felt both joy and pain.

Einarson, vice Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard, lead Karlee Burgess and alternate Krysten Karwacki open the 13-country BKT Women's World Curling Championship against Sweden at Calgary's WinSport Event Centre.

Einarson, out of Manitoba's Gimli Curling Club, also wants to keep the world title in Canada after back-to-back gold medals by Rachel Homan's team.

"Rachel's definitely set the bar high for us," Einarson said Friday after practice in the arena on Calgary's west side.

Einarson and company won the Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Feb. 1 in Mississauga, Ont., where the skip made a long angle raise against four Kaitlyn Lawes counters to force an extra end.

"It's the best shot I've ever been a part of," Burgess said. "It'll be forever ingrained in my brain."

An Einarson steal in the 11th gave the skip and Edmonton's Sweeting their fifth national title, Birchard her sixth and Burgess her first.

February's Olympic Games pushing the Hearts to earlier in the curling calendar gave Einarson a break of over a month before the world championship, instead of the customary two weeks.

"We feel really good," the 38-year-old skip said. "We're not used to having a month off after the Scotties.

"We've been practising lots and had some really great team practices. We came here four days early and had good training days, so we feel prepared and ready."

Einarson, Sweeting, Birchard and Brianne Harris claimed back-to-back world championship bronze medals in 2022 in Prince George, B.C., and 2023 in Sandviken, Sweden.

They also represented Canada in 2021 in Calgary after winning their second straight