 Kitami's Satsuki Fujisawa (Photo: Hokkaido Curling Tour) was clinical in 2025-26 tour debut. By: Cameron Sal With the Japanese Olympic Trials fast approaching, the Hokkaido Curling Tour is giving teams four events to get on the ice before the biggest event of the year. At the first leg in Wakkanai, reigning Olympic silver medalist Satsuki Fujisawa looked untouchable as she went undefeated to claim the title. Backed by Chinami Yoshida, Yumi Suzuki and Yurika Yoshida, Fujisawa won all four games in Pool A to qualify for the knockout round as the top seed. This included one win over SC Karuizawa Club's Miyu Ueno, a team she will take on in the Olympic Trials. In the semifinal, Fujisawa got off to a quick start against Chubu Electric Power's Ikue Kitazawa, scoring two in the second end to open the scoring. After trading singles, Loco Solare stole two in the fifth when Kitazawa's final draw came up light. The Kitami rink capped a dominant performance with three in the seventh, advancing to the final with an 8-3 victory. The championship game saw a rematch between Fujisawa and Ueno with Ueno knocked off Korea's Kang Bo-bae 6-4 in the other semifinal. Starting with hammer and also playing shorthanded, Ueno was forced to a single in the opening end. Fujisawa quickly clawed into the lead with two in the second before forcing the Karuizawa rink to one in the third. From there, it was all Loco Solare, with Fujisawa counting three in the fourth and two in the seventh, going on to an 8-3 win to secure the title. Final - Loco Solare (Satsuki Fujisawa) vs SC Karuizawa Club (Miyu Ueno): Currently ranked seventh in the world, Fujisawa is the favorite heading into the Japanese Olympic Trials, scheduled for September 11 to 14. The event will see a double round robin between them and the previous two national champions, Miyu Ueno (2024) and Sayaka Yoshimura (2025). Yoshimura also competed in Wakkanai, but missed the playoffs with a 2-2 record. The winner of the Olympic Trials will head to the Olympic Qualification Event in Kelowna in December and need a top two finish to advance to the 2026 Games in Cortina, Italy. Fujisawa came through the OQE in the Netherlands in 2021 before going on to a historic silver medal finish in Beijing. Prior to the Trials, Fujisawa will play in the remaining legs of the Hokkaido Curling Tour. The team will also represent Japan at the Pan Continental Championship in October after both Yoshimura and Miku Nihira declined participation. |
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Saskatchewan's Rylan Kleiter (Photo: Anil Mungal/GSOC) defeated Italy's Joel Retornaz 7-6 to grab their first win on the 2025-2026 season in Trentino, Italy.
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