Winter Olympics closing ceremony LIVE: Team GB women win first gold medal in curling as Beijing Games end

Follow latest updates from Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 as Team GB chase their first medal of the Games

Watch live outside China’s National Stadium as Winter Olympics come to close

Great Britain’s women, led by Eve Muirhead, went one better than the men in their gold medal match against Japan at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The men’s team fell short yesterday when Sweden claimed gold to deny Bruce Mouat and his team. Swedish skip Niklas Edin proved too good and repeated their victory over Great Britain in a 2014 semi-final. Muirhead overcame almost impossible odds to steer her women’s curling team into the Olympic final where she completed an incredible journey to finally fulfil an ambition that appeared beyond her after a decade at the top of her sport. Team coach Murdoch put her chances of salvaging victory at “less than 10 per cent” after shipping four shots in a disastrous opening end to defending Olympic champions Sweden, but they clawed back to clinch a thrilling 12-11 victory in an extra end.

In the final, Muirhead guided Great Britain to their first and only gold of the Games, beating Japan 10-3 to claim the joint-biggest margin of victory in a final since the sport was reintroduced in ‘98. With all events now closed and the medals handed out, it only remains for the closing ceremony to take place and the baton to be passed on to Italy.

Follow live coverage from the Winter Olympics below:

Winter Olympics: Final day and Closing Ceremony

• REPORT: Muirhead leads Great Britain to first gold medal at Winter Olympics in women’s curling
• Team Hall leads Britain to sixth in four-man bobsleigh as Germany secure gold
• Team GB beaten by Sweden in men’s curling final
• Team GB react to winning gold medal in women’s curling
• Muirhead backed to become ‘greatest of all time’ after adding Olympic gold to major titles
• Closing ceremony underway in Beijing

[19 February 2022 09:09 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 3-4 Sweden (9th end)

Every shot so important now. Sweden have control of the house, and Grant Hardie has a key shot to wipe out both Swedish stones around the button – he nails it! Brilliantly executed off one and on to the other. Two stones left each.

Action from the men’s curling final (Reuters)

[19 February 2022 08:57 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 3-4 Sweden (after eight ends)

Good by Bruce Mouat, who bumps away Sweden’s central stone and leaves two GB stones in the house. Sweden’s penultimate shot coming up... and Rasmus Wrana doesn’t quite nail it, leaving one Swedish and one British stone left in the house, with one stone left each to come in this end. It looks like the Swedes will take one point with Edin Niklas on the hammer... which they do.

So Sweden lead 4-3 with two ends to play, and GB have the hammer next.

[19 February 2022 08:53 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 3-3 Sweden (8th end)

This is a very closely fought end, centring around one Swedish stone close to the centre and one British stone almost touching it, just behind, with guards being placed and knocked out one after another. As it stands, with two stones each remaining, Sweden are heading towards a one-point gain.

[19 February 2022 08:45 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 3-3 Sweden (after seven ends)

Swedish skip Niklas Edin gets his complicated angles wrong and Britain draw level. Grant Hardie can take plenty of credit for that with his perfectly placed draw on to the button which changed the entire complexion. Sweden will have the hammer in the next end, so they still have the advantage, but GB finally have a bit of momentum.

[19 February 2022 08:41 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 2-3 Sweden (7th end)

Sweden bump into Britain’s guard with their penultimate stone, and Bruce Mouat will need to put another down to block the hammer. It’s nicely played, and now Sweden have a very difficult final shot to try and stop Britain levelling the final...

[19 February 2022 08:39 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 2-3 Sweden (7th end)

With a GB stone on the button, Bruce Mouat positions a guard to try and block the Swedes and places it well. Sweden have two stones remaining in this end, Britain just one...

State of play during the 7th end (Olympics.com)

Grant Hardie sends a stone during the men’s curling final (EPA)

[19 February 2022 08:34 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 2-3 Sweden (7th end)

It looks like Sweden are going to go for points here rather than retain the hammer once more. That would at least mean Britain have the hammer for the eighth and 10th ends, but they need to ensure they limit the points damage to one at most here. Three stones to go and Sweden have control of the centre – but a perfect shot by Grant Hardie threads the needle and finds the button beautifully. Over to Sweden...

[19 February 2022 08:23 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 2-3 Sweden (after six ends)

So another end goes by with no points won and no change in hammer. Sweden remain in control with four ends to go and the hammer advantage next too, and Britain are going to need to make something happen in this tight, tactical game to change their Olympic destiny.

[19 February 2022 08:20 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 2-3 Sweden (6th end)

Rasmus Wranaa loves a destructive stone and he fires another one, sending GB’s stones flying all over the place. That was very effective and it’s left the house empty. We could see another tit-for-tat trade of individual stones, which may well lead to Sweden forcing another scoreless end to retain the hammer. Not great news for GB if so.

[19 February 2022 08:17 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Men’s curling final: GB 2-3 Sweden (6th end)

So Sweden have the hammer in this end – what a time it would be in the middle of this final if GB could steal a point against the hammer.