Amazing week at the Ice Cube
Reigning Paralympic champions China met Sweden at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games gold medal final in wheelchair curling on Saturday afternoon.
The game was the rematch of the 2021 World Wheelchair Curling Championship final that took place at the same venue, and saw China win by 5-3 count.
After blanking the first end, China took a single in the second with a precise draw by skip Wang Haitao.
In the third end, Sweden scored one point back after a hit-and-stick from skip Viljo Pettersson-Dahl.
Sweden stole a single in the fourth end when Wang’s shooter rolled out and left one Swedish stone at the edge of the 12-foot.
Sweden was leading the game 2-1 at the halftime break.
The game took a turn in the fifth end when China scored four points, mostly due to their precise draw play. They could have scored five but Wang came up light with his last draw attempt.
China were leading the game 5-2 playing the sixth end and forced Sweden’s Pettersson-Dahl to take a single point. In the seventh end, Pettersson-Dahl came up short with his last draw attempt against three Chinese counters. Wang came up short with his last draw attempt as well, therefore, China scored only three points.
The reigning champions led the game by 8-3 after seven ends, and it was enough for Sweden to concede defeat.
This victory means a second straight Paralympic title for skip Wang Haitao and third player Chen Jianxin, while the other team members— second Zhang Mingliang, lead Yan Zhuo and alternate Sun Yulong—claimed gold at their Paralympic debut.
The hosts were coached by Yue Qingshuang.
“I’m very happy and very thrilled,” said Chinese skip Wang Haitao. “In the fifth end we scored four points and that just encouraged the whole team. The crowd greatly encouraged us.”
Comparing his two Paralympic gold medal games, he said, “Four years ago we didn’t have too much pressure, but today we were playing at home, so it just put us under a lot of pressure, but luckily, we made it.”
After the game, Swedish lead Kristina Ulander said, “It has been a fantastic week. I’m so satisfied. I’m happy. I’m very proud to win a silver today. It was a close game, but China was stronger today.”
Swedish skip Viljo Pettersson-Dahl elaborated on his Paralympic experience, saying “Overall, I think we are really satisfied, but it doesn’t feel that way right now. But at the last Paralympics we ended up 10th, and now we are second, so we made quite a journey.
“But now it’s hard to feel satisfied. I think I will do that in a couple of weeks maybe.”
Also on Pettersson-Dahl and Ulander’s Swedish team were third Ronny Persson, second Mats-Ola Engborg, alternate Sabina Johansson and coach Alison Kreviazuk.
Canada won the bronze medal by defeating Slovakia 8-3.
China finished 9-2 overall, with Sweden finishing 8-3, Canada 8-4 and Slovakia 6-5.
The other competing teams were United States (5-5), Korea (4-5), Latvia (4-5), Norway (4-6), Great Britain (4-6), Estonia (3-6) and Switzerland (1-9).
