A Burnett secondary grad just fulfilled his childhood dream of winning the New Holland Canadian U-21 Men's Curling Championship.
“Growing up as young curlers, all of us watched the Canadian Juniors on TV every year. So it’s always been a dream to be able to compete at that event on that stage,” said Johnson Tao.
“It’s just icing on the cake to be able to stand on top of the podium as well and win the event.”
Tao, 20, began curling in Richmond when he was nine years old and “basically grew up in the Richmond Curling Centre.” He won gold as Team Alberta 2’s skip in last week’s championship held in Quebec.
“Last year we came really close, so that loss was really hard for all of us to deal with. So the team and I have put so much into working towards getting back to the podium this year,” said Tao. The team won silver last year.
“And so (the win) means a lot to us.”
The win also means Tao and the team will be donning the Maple Leaf and representing team Canada in the upcoming World Junior B Men’s Curling Championship in Lohja, Finland. If they manage to finish in the top three, they will then qualify for the 2024 World Junior Curling Championships.
But before getting back into four months of full-time training, Tao is looking forward to spending the summer with his family in Richmond.
“I miss the Asian food in Richmond so much. And it’s not quite the same here in Edmonton, so that’s what I’ve always been most excited about, aside from seeing my family.”
