On This Day in Olympic Curling History: Feb 8

BEIJING 2022

The medal games concluded the second-ever mixed doubles curling Olympiad at the Ice Cube.

In the bronze medal match, the Swedish pairing of Almida de Val and Oskar Eriksson scored seven points in the second and third ends to ride out an emphatic 9-3 afternoon win over Great Britain’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat.

The Swedes added steals in the fourth and fifth ends, but the writing was already on the wall.

In the evening gold medal final, Italy were not to be denied. After edging Canada to conclude the round robin and thumping Sweden in the semifinals, Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner made history by winning Italy’s first-ever Olympic medal in curling.

The unusual pairing did it in style, finishing undefeated.

Norway’s Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten, awarded bronze four years earlier in PyeongChang, actually stole two points to start the final, but they wouldn’t lead the match again. Italy replied with two, stole one and added a huge steal of three points in the fourth end to lead 6-2, eventually winning by an 8-5 count.

Matt Sussman, a columnist for The Curling News, posted that prior to this epic win, Italy had never finished better than fifth place at any world or Olympic championship in any curling discipline.

Italy joined the-then International Curling Federation in 1972, six years after the ICF’s founding, and began competing in world championships in 1973.

Skaslien and Nedregotten enjoyed their first medal presentation on the Olympic podium. Four years earlier they had been awarded bronze after losing the bronze medal final to the OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia) team, but an OAR doping infraction saw them return to PyeongChang to receive their medals in private.

PYEONGCHANG 2018

The first full day of the first-ever Olympic mixed doubles curling discipline concluded in Gangneung, host site of the 2010 world women’s championship.

Most pairs split their opening games except for Switzerland, who defeated China and Finland to lead the early standings at 2-0.

SALT LAKE CITY 2002

Denmark men’s skip Ulrik Schmidt became the first male curling athlete to serve as a nation’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

NAGANO 1998

The first-ever ceremonial “first stone” was thrown at a small venue opening ceremony in Karuizawa (there was no such first-stone ceremony at Chamonix in 1924).