Ranking the 15 best curling players in the world right now

Curling is one of the biggest winter sports in the world. It was first played in Scotland over four centuries ago and has been incorporated as part of the Winter Olympics since 1998. In its history, some of the best curling players have become world famous.

Curling requires a team of four players with a leader known as the 'skip' whose main objective is to get your stones as close as possible to the centre button. The closer your stones get to the button, the more points you get. The best curling players in the world right now have perfected this art.

15. Oscar Eriksson (Sweden)

Oscar is widely considered the best curling player in Europe. The Swede has led his team to 6 world and 7 European titles. He also won gold in the men's curling at the 2022 Winter Olympics making history by ending Canada's dominance in the category at the Olympics. He plays domestically for Karlstads Klubb in Sweden.

14. Carmen Schafer (Switzerland)

Carmen is Switzerland's most famous female curling player. She won the World Junior Championships in 1999 and the World Championships in 2012.

13. John Shuster (USA)

John made history in 2018 when he led the first-ever American team to win gold in curling at the 2018 winter Olympics in Pyeonchang. He has been curling competitively since 2003 and has won several national titles.

12.Rachel Homan (Canada)

Rachel is one of Canada's most consistent female curling players. She skippered the team to victory at the 2017 World Championships in Beijing. She plays domestically for the Ottawa club.

11. Glenn Howard (Canada)

Glenn Howard is well into his 60s and is still one of the most competitive curling players in the world. He is a 4-time World Curling champion (1987,1993,2007,2012). He plays for St. George's Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

10. Russ Howard (Canada)

Brother to Glenn Howard, Russ is also a competitive curling player from Canada. He is a two-time World Champion (1987,1993) and won the Winter Olympics in 2006. He is also a curling analyst for Canadian broadcaster TSN.

9. Rasmus Wrana (Sweden)

Rasmus has been a big part of Sweden's success, taking turns to skip the team with Oscar Eriksson and Niklas Edin. He was part of the Olympics winning team in 2022 and is a four-time World Champion. His wife, Isabella Wrana, is also a competitive curling player.

8. Brad Gushue (Canada)

Brad is one of the best curling players in the world. He skippered Canada to victory in the 2006 Olympics and the 2017 World Championships. He domestically plays for the St John's Curling club.

7. John Morris (Canada)

Morris is one of the greatest ever curling players in history. He is a two-time Olympic champion winning gold in 2006 and 2018 (Mixed doubles) and the World Curling championships in 2008. He has written a book on curling called 'Fit to curl'.

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6. Marc Kennedy (Canada)

Marc Kennedy is considered one of the greatest curling players in the sport's history. He won gold in the Olympics in 2010 and the World Championships in 2008 and 2016.

5. Liu Jinli (China)

Liu Jinli is the greatest curling player ever in the history of China. She led China to its first-ever global curling title at the 2009 World Championships, and she also led them to the bronze medal at the Olympics in 2010.

4. Jennifer Jones (Canada)

Jennifer Jones is the only female skip to go through an undefeated Olympic campaign as she led Canada to the 2014 Olympic title in Sochi. She won the World Championships twice (2008,2018)

3. Kaitlyn Lawes (Canada)

2. Ernie Richardson (Canada)

Ernie Richardson is considered the most remarkable Canadian curling player of the 20th century. He was a prominent player in the 50s,60s and '70s, and they won 4 world titles between 1959-1964.

1. Kevin Martin (Canada)

Kevin is considered the best curling player of all time. He has represented Canada since 1992 and is still competing to date. He won the gold medal at the 2006 Olympics and the World curling championships in 2008. He also does curling analysis and commentary for Canada's national broadcaster TSN.

Curling requires skill and precision, as well as teamwork. The skip must provide leadership and discipline to ensure success for their team. This list of the best curling players in the world has proven their skills as they continue to earn titles.

Sportsbrief.com recently listed the most famous sports in Canada. Winter Sports such as curling and ice skating feature prominently on the list, but more conventional games such as basketball and hockey are also on the list.

The list goes into Canada's proud sporting heritage and looks into the sports most citizens hold dear. Which sport do you think is the most famous in Canada? Check the list in the link above!