Curlers will be sweeping at all hours

Addition of mixed doubles event means few breaks in on-ice action

The bobsledders might push harder. The speedskaters go faster. The ski jumpers certainly soar higher.

Yet no one will work longer hours at the Pyeongchang Olympics than American curlers Matt and Becca Hamilton.

By qualifying for both the new mixed doubles discipline and the traditional, single-gender curling event, the siblings from McFarland, Wisconsin, could be on the ice for as many as 50 hours - by far the longest anyone will be in live competition at the Winter Games.

No one is saying that's harder than, say, the 50-kilometer cross-country ski race. But even the skiers will be back in the lodge sipping cocoa after a couple of hours.

Depending on tiebreakers and whether they can get a bye in the semifinals, the Hamiltons could be competing for 18 straight days.

"No curler's ever done that," Becca Hamilton said. "Not many curlers are going to be able to get the opportunity."

A 600-year-old niche sport that catches the world's attention every four years - the sweeping, the shouting, the pants - curling will be ever-present in Pyeongchang. Athletes will be throwing stones from the day before the torch is lit until just hours before the closing ceremony.

"The Olympics have done awesome things for curling," Canadian second Joanne Courtney said. "And it's just great to be a part of it."

Here are some things to look for in the upcoming Olympic curling tournaments:

O, Canada

Canada has long been curling's superpower, and is the clear favorite in all three events again.

The country is the three-time defending Olympic men's champion, winning silver in the two other Winter Games since curling was returned to the program in 1998. The Canadian women have two golds, a silver and two bronzes at the Olympics.

Canada is also the defending men's and women's world champion, while finishing second in mixed doubles.

But two of the four men that will represent Canada in Pyeongchang - and all four women - are Olympic rookies.

"No matter who represents Canada in any year, no matter if it's the worlds or the Olympics, we always have a target on our back," said lead Ben Hebert, who with second Marc Kennedy won gold at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

"The first time, we did what we were supposed to do," he said. "Eight years, it's been a long time and a long journey. You never know if you're going to get back."

The Canadian women's team is the defending world champion, going undefeated at the worlds.

"That's the first time a women's team has ever done that," Courtney said. "We love the pressure, we love having expectations. I think that's a great thing."