That was some insane curling, people
Women’s team curling provided all the Friday drama as Japan and Great Britain advanced to the Olympic championship final in Beijing.
The championship will be a rematch of the bronze medal game four years ago in PyeongChang, where Great Britain skip Eve Muirhead gambled and missed a shot for the win over Satsuki Fujisawa.
Muirhead gambled on her draw game through her semifinal struggle with defending Olympic champion Anna Hasselborg of Sweden. Her squad dropped a stunning four-ender to start the game but that was only the beginning of a true rollercoaster ride, as the British replied with a three-count.
A Muirhead steal in the fifth end proved valuable, and when her team scored a four-ender of their own in the ninth end, you’d be forgiven for thinking the game was over. However, Sweden rallied in the 10th end and—coupled with Muirhead’s aggressive play, some oversweeping and a missed guard—scored the three points needed to make the score 11-11 in an 11th end.
In the extra end, a strong runback from British third Vicky Wright cleared the front, and when Hasselborg’s last-chance draw around a corner guard slipped an inch wide of a GB counter, the match was over, 12-11.
“I’m stuck for words,” said Muirhead, who won Olympic bronze at Sochi 2014. “That’s the third time I’ve been in an Olympic semifinal and ever since I’ve not made it to the final it’s been my dream to get to that final game.”
The victory marked Muirhead’s fourth straight win over Hasselborg this season.Their 5-4 record in the Beijing round robin appeared rocky—compared to Sweden’s 7-2—and superior Draw Shot Challenge marks promoted them into the semifinals along with Japan, at the expense of Canada.
“(Sweden are) some of my best friends,” said Muirhead. “I hate playing my friends, it’s horrible, but when you’re out there on the ice, you want to beat each other.
“They’re a fantastic team, they are the champions. Unfortunately for them, they can’t get that title back—but I’d love to steal it off them.”
“This is the best tournament in the world,” declared Anna Hasselborg. “There has never been this tough a field. That we’re in top four shows the strength of this team. We have a chance to play for the medal tomorrow. We’ll regroup and go out to do our very best.”
In the other semifinal, Japan produced the massive effort that was required to upset the two-time defending world champions from Switzerland.
Silvana Tirinzoni, with Alina Paetz throwing fourth stones, had also won the Beijing round robin outright with an 8-1 won/loss record. Moreover, Tirinzoni was 11-2 lifetime against Fujisawa coming into the match.
The Swiss were definitely off their game at the Ice Cube, while Japan overcame a series of recent losses to play well when it mattered. They broke a series of single-point ends by scoring a huge four in the fifth, and followed it up with a steal for a 6-2 lead.
Switzerland responded with a three-count, and the teams traded single points the rest of the way for the 8-6 Japan win. Fujisawa had to play hero in the ninth end, making two double takeouts to remove four Swiss counters—Paetz missed her subsequent shot for two, scoring only one—and made her draw to the four-foot rings on her final throw of the game.
“I’m still dreaming,” said Japan third Chinami Yoshida. “I have never dreamed in bed like I am going into the Olympic gold-medal stage, but tomorrow it is coming. I will play the gold-medal game in the Olympics.
“I just want to say thank you to my team—amazing.”
“We knew (Japan) were going to play better than yesterday,” said Paetz. “We knew they're great team.
“Every game is a new game, right? Doesn’t matter what you did in the round robin. We just didn’t do well enough today.”
The start time of the gold medal final has been changed to accommodate European time zones. The new time is 14:50 Beijing Standard Time (BST) on Feb. 19.
Sweden now faces Switzerland in the bronze medal game.
“We will find a way to come back strong and fight hard for that medal,” said Tirinzoni.
“It’s especially important for us. I think all Switzerland would be happy about it, but I hope for my teammates that we can win the medal.
“We will try to forget this game as quickly as possible.”