Olympic Curling’s Major Moments Pt. 2

As those of you that have followed my curling commentary would know, I often find myself more interested in the moments that happen on the ice and behind the scenes at curling events than I do on the results.

There were several moments from the 2022 Olympics in Beijing that I will remember for a long time.

I will remember the guttural scream from John Morris during the final shot of Canada’s mixed doubles game against Italy, when he realized that Rachel Homan’s draw had stopped a few millimetres too far—and that Canada would miss the playoffs.

I will remember the look of excitement, almost disbelief, on the face of Stefania Constantini when the mixed doubles final ended, and the young Italian realized she was an Olympic champion.

I’ll remember the emotional hug between Jennifer Jones and two Japanese players in the media area following the final round-robin draw.

I will definitely remember that wild semifinal between Eve Muirhead’s Great Britain and Anna Hasselborg’s Sweden that ended 12-11 in an extra end.

I won’t forget Brad Gushue breaking down when he saw his family on a video link in the moments following his team’s semifinal loss. I’ll also remember the emotional embrace between Gushue and longtime teammate Mark Nichols as they quietly apologized to each other for what had been a subpar week for the 2006 Olympic gold medalists.

I will remember Eve Muirhead looking ever-stoic following her team’s gold medal win until countrywoman and 2002 Olympic champion Rhona Martin greeted her backstage following the final and the two of them shared a golden embrace.

I’ll remember the men’s final between Team Edin of Sweden and Team Mouat of Great Britain, with both teams performing so well on the curling world’s biggest stage.

I will remember the strong work done on Canadian television by Bruce Rainnie, Mike Harris and Joanne Courtney. From my vantage point, Joanne was one of the breakout stars of Olympic curling in 2022—and she didn’t even throw a stone.

Here’s some final memories, awards-style.

Best Game

The men’s final between Sweden and Great Britain was brilliantly played, given what was at stake. Both teams shot over 90% and it was a very entertaining battle despite the relatively low score.

Most Exciting Game

There are many worthy candidates, but the most exciting game of the Olympics had to be the women’s semi between Sweden and Great Britain. It certainly was not a game for the purists—both teams each scored a four-ender and a three-ender—but it was an exciting rollercoaster of a match with so much on the line.

Biggest Upset

The biggest upset of the week had to be Australia defeating Canada in mixed doubles. To be fair, the Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt are a strong pairing, and had reached the semifinals at the world championship back in 2019. However, no one expected them to take a 7-0 lead in the first half of their game against training partners Rachel Homan and John Morris. The Canadians mounted a furious comeback, but the Australians managed to hold on for a victory in an extra-end.

This game had an extra layer of importance to the Australians as they had moved to Alberta in the last year to train under Morris … who was no doubt proud of his protégés, but would have preferred to see them upset another top team and not Canada.

Most Outstanding Player – Women

While both Eve Muirhead and Jennifer Dodds of Great Britain would have been solid choices for the women’s MOP, I have to go with gold medalist Stefania Constantini of Italy. She made clutch shots all week while finishing atop the rankings in shooting percentage among the women in the mixed doubles competition.

Most Outstanding Player – Men

There is really only one choice, and it is Oskar Eriksson of Sweden. He won medals in both the mixed doubles and the men’s competition, proving that it is possible for a curler to medal at two events in the same Olympics.