Team Canada skipper Brad Jacobs silences allegations against his team member Marc Kennedy after the most anticipated gold medal win in the curling finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Before the finals, Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson accused the third of the Canadian team of ‘double-touching’ and of helping his team win by cheating.
The Canadian team defeated Great Britain 9–6 in the final, earning their first gold medal in men’s curling since 2014.
Brad Jacobs Slams Cheating Allegations after Gold Medal Win at the 2026 Games
Jacobs, the skip of the team, waited for 12 years to win his second gold after triumphing in the Sochi edition. He helped his team win round-robin matches against top teams like Sweden, USA, and Italy, setting up a semi-final match-up against Norway, which they won 5-4 in the extra end.
In the finals, the Canadian team, skipped by Jacobs with Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, Ben Hebert, and alternate Tyler Tardi, left Great Britain in the runner-up position to break a 12-year medal drought.
However, their campaign was not as smooth as it appeared. After the round-robin match against Sweden, Eriksson called Kennedy out for allegedly touching the granite after releasing it, and accusations circulated online after video footage showed the same. However, officials did not penalize the Canadian team or disrupt their competitive flow.
Kennedy, the two-time world champion, denied the allegations on the spot and went on to win the gold medal, celebrating joyously afterward. In a later press conference, team leader Brad Jacobs took a bold stance, sharing that the outrageous criticism directed at them only motivated the team to prove everyone wrong on the Olympic stage.
“People were using some pretty outrageous words like cheating, associated now with our team,” Jacobs said. “I’ll guarantee you that that only motivated us further to go out and prove to everyone that we’re the best team that we are also one of the best, and now at the top of the podium, and I would say the best team in the world.”
He further said that those who spoke ill of Kennedy and his family should reflect on their actions after seeing the Canadian team celebrate their victory.
“For anyone who said negative things about Marc Kennedy about us about Canada about our families, I hope that the image of us standing on top of the podium, embracing one another, smiling ear to ear with our gold medals, is burned into your brain forever.”
With the recent win, Jacobs became the first men’s skip to win two gold medals in the team curling event. Reflecting on the achievement, he said he was aware of what was at stake, as only Anette Norberg had accomplished the feat before, and no man had done so until him. He credited his team for their resilience throughout the game and for standing by him until the very end.
Kennedy and Herbert also have two Olympic titles in their resume, having won at the 2010 Olympics.
