Despite being set to take the world number one mixed-doubles ranking, Australian curling duo Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt still face a major challenge in booking their spot at their second Winter Olympics.

The pair won a historic bronze medal in May at the world championships in Canada and have since hit a purple patch, topping the podium in tournaments in Bern and Gstaad, where they collected an iconic goat-shaped trophy.

The recent run of results will see them leap-frog Estonia to take the top spot in the world rankings next week.

But Queenslander Gill and Victorian Hewitt are not certain to line up at the Milan-Cortina Games in February after missing direct qualification by a single point.

An uncharacteristically poor 15th-place finish at the 2024 world titles, combined with this year

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