Switzerland Dominates Women’s World Curling

Switzerland vanquished a disappointing end to their Beijing Olympic Games by winning another world championship at Prince George, B.C. in Canada.

Skip Silvana Tirinzoni, fourth Alina Paetz, second Esther Neuenschwander, lead Melanie Barbezat and alternate Carole Howald have now won their third world women’s championship title in a row.

Paetz and Howald have now won five titles in their careers. Paetz had won once as a skip, three times throwing fourth stones, and once as alternate. Howald has served as alternate for all five crowns, with multiple teams.

It’s the second title for Swiss team coach Pierre Charette of Canada.

The Swiss, who ran to a spotless 14-0 record, defeated Korea—skipped by Kim EunJung, with third Kim KyeongAe, second Kim ChoHi, lead Kim SeonYeong, alternate Kim YeongMi and coach Lim MyungSup—who were making their debut in the world championship final.

Their silver medals have achieved their highest-ever finish in a world championship. The team also scored Olympic silver four years ago on home ice in PyeongChang.

After blanking the first end, Switzerland opened the scoring with three points in the second, with Paetz making an open draw into the house.

In the third end, Korea skip Kim EunJung was facing six Swiss counters when she came to play her last stone, and she managed to get inside them all, to open her team’s account with a single point.

Switzerland scored one more in the fourth end for a 4-1 lead.

In the fifth end, Kim drew for two points whereupon the Swiss notched another point in the sixth for a 5-3 lead.

However, in the seventh, Korea tied the game at 5-5 when Kim made another draw for a pair.

The teams then swapped single points in the eighth and ninth ends, setting up a final end with the score at 6-6.

Both teams used their time-out in a cagey 10th end before Paetz made a straightforward double takeout to score one and win by a 7-6 final score.

“It’s amazing, I cannot get tired of being called world champion,” said Tirinzoni. “I’m so proud of the team, I don’t have any words. After the Olympics and the nationals, I thought we’d be a little tired, but they performed amazing, and I didn’t expect that.

“To win three world championships is just great, and to do three in a row is fantastic.”

Alina Paetz was announced as the winner of the Frances Brodie Award for the second year in succession.

This award recipient is selected by the event competitors to honour the athlete who, “by deed and action in the course of their performance, best exemplify the traditional curling values of skill, honesty, fair play, friendship and sportsmanship.”

“We gave up three points early on and we were playing catch-up after that,” said Kim.

“We did catch-up though, and I’m so proud of how we played today. I’m very proud to be a silver medallist, and I’m very proud to have played at such a high level.”

The previous match went to an extra end, but eventually hosts Canada beat Sweden 8-7 to win the bronze medals.

This was a second straight appearance representing Canada for this team: skip Kerri Einarson, third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard, lead Briane Meilleur and alternate Krysten Karwacki. At this event, they were supported by coach Reid Carruthers.

The Swedes, skipped by Anna Hasselborg, took a 4-2 lead into the fifth-end break. Then, in the sixth, Einarson gave her team three points with a draw to retake the lead at 5-4.

The shot of the game took place in the eighth, when Einarson made a raise double to score a pair for a 7-5 lead.

After a Swedish pair to tie in the 10th end, Einarson played an extrea-end nose hit on a Swedish stone to score one point, win by 8-7 and take the bronze medals.

“We were pretty sharp,” said an emotional Einarson, who had lost a second match to Korea on back-to-back steals the previous day.

“We had a couple of hiccups here and there, but we made some big clutch shots when we needed them. That angle raise (in the eighth end) was a game-changer. I think if they had scored there, we would have lost a bit of momentum, so I knew I had to make that one.”

More widely, she reflected on her campaign, saying, “It’s been an absolutely amazing run this week. Just to medal is an absolute honour and to get to represent Canada with the maple leaf on our back … we wear it with pride.”

Japan finished in seventh place at 6-6, just behind fifth-place USA and sixth-place Denmark, despite losing a match with three players and then forfeiting their final game due to positive COVID-19 tests.

Scotland placed last after a raft of positive tests early in the week left them unable to continue.

Norway and Germany finished eight and ninth at 5-7. Italy finished at 4-8 while world debutants Turkey won two games to finish at 2-10, tied with Czech Republic who replaced banned Russia at the event.