Latvia makes curling history

Meet Iveta Stasa-Sarsune, everyone.

Iveta... meet everyone.

This gal has played quite well for Latvia at the past two World Mixed Doubles Championships (in Italy and Finland, respectively) but she and her teammates took it to another level at the 2009 Le Gruyere European Curling Championships in Aberdeen, Scotland this past week.

Team Latvia won the B-pool and then defeated Finland (skipped by TCN correspondent Katja Kiiskiken) in a best of three World Challenge series to qualify for the 2010 Ford World Women's Curling Championship in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

This remarkable result comes on the heels of a recent medal scored by the Latvian men's team, in the B-pool of the 2007 Europeans at Fuessen, Germany.

Congratulations to Iveta and all curling-mad Latvians! If your cheering squad is anything like that of the legendary Latvian hockey fans, Swift Current will be rocking out!

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[Photo by Bob Cowan]