“That’s a fun record to have”
It was a bittersweet day for Swedish curling legend Niklas Edin in Cortina.
On one hand, the three-time Olympic medallist and defending champion set a new record, passing five-time USA competitor John Shuster with career 51 Olympic matches played.
On the other, Edin and his mates lost to Germany’s Marc Muskatewitz by a 7-3 count, and dropped to 1-5 on the week.
This all but eliminates Sweden from playoff contention at Cortina Olympic Curling Stadium.
“That’s a fun record to have,” said Edin. “Right now it feels like a bonus.
“I guess it’s a testament that we’ve done really well for a very long time.”
SUI defeated USA • Anil Mungal-The Curling NewsEdin debuted at the Vancouver 2010 Games under development consideration with Swedish Curling. His team surprised many observers by making a run to the medal round, where they lost the bronze medal game.
Germany moved to 3-3 for a tie with the host Italians led by Joel Retornaz.
In other games, Norway’s Magnus Ramsfjell made a great pick shot to defeat Great Britain’s Bruce Mouat 7-6, dropping the Brits to 4-3 with little wiggle room.
The Norwegians, a surprise to some, climbed to 4-2, tied with the surprising youthful Americans skipped by Danny Casper.
Canada, skipped by 2014 champion Brad Jacobs, advanced to 5-1 with a thorough 8-2 win over Czechia’s Lukas Klima.
Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller remains unbeaten at 5-0 and is the first men’s team to qualify for the playoffs.
A jubilant Anna Hasselborg • Anil Mungal-The Curling NewsOn the women’s side, Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg continued her strong play with a win over European rival Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland.
The Swedes are now 6-0 and are going for a third straight podium after winning gold in 2018 and bronze four years ago in Beijing.
USA’s Tabitha Peterson is in second at 4-1 while Switzerland and South Korea are both 3-2, with Denmark at 303.
Canada’s Rachel Homan defeated China in the morning and is now tied with them and Great Britain at 2-3.