Gill, Hewitt become Australia's first Olympic curlers

SYDNEY -- Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt made history on Sunday of becoming Australia's first Olympic curlers.

The pair, after securing their mixed doubles quota in the final Olympic Qualification Tournament in the Netherlands last December, was nominated by Australian Curling Federation and officially selected by the Australian Olympic Committee for Beijing 2022.

Chef de Mission for the Australian Olympic Team for Beijing 2022, Geoff Lipshut, said Sunday that today was a fantastic milestone for the Australian Winter Olympic Team.

"Dean and Tahli have shown they are not only world class athletes, but world class people. They have attacked this Olympic cycle with dedication and determination and have overcome immense challenges to earn their spot at Beijing 2022," said Lipshut.

Gill said it has been a "lifelong dream" for both of them to compete in the Olympic Winter Games. "When we hit that winning shot, I think I was mostly in shock, because we have worked so hard for so long on this one goal and now we've actually achieved it."

Hewitt said qualifying was a mixture of excitement, pure joy and relief. "It was a culmination of years of training all unfolding in the way we planned for and how much we have dedicated towards the sport."

He also expressed the hope that their competition in the Olympic Winter Games would inspire more people in Australia to be interested in trying the sport.

Gill and Hewitt paired up as a mixed doubles team in 2018. At the 2019 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship held in Stavanger of Norway, they achieved a significant breakthrough performance, placing fourth which was the best-ever world championship finish for Australia.