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
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.
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Winter Olympics: Team GB 7-7 Sweden
Team GB have the hammer back but Sweden are able to control the seventh end by getting three red stones in the house midway through.
It leaves GB playing catch up slightly and as Hasselborg takes over Sweden have three red stones in point-scoring position...
Muirhead plays a lovely shot, though, clearing a Swedish stone while nestling the yellow behind a previous marker.
It opens up the possibility of a two-point end for Muirhead’s side.
Hasselborg goes for the clear out but a yellow stone clings on at the back of the ring. So with the final shot of the end, Muirhead picks up two points and we’re back level!
Winter Olympics: Team GB 5-7 Sweden
Rhona Martin, who is commentating on BBC:
“At the moment it’s Team GB who have the upper hand, and Sweden are shaking in their boots.”
Vicky Wright is able to establish a high screen of three yellow stones, again seeming to put Sweden on the back foot.
Sweden thrown in a draw to the back of the house, and Muirhead follows it in behind - but crucially leaves the red Sweden stone closest to the centre.
Sweden find a nice draw to the inside, putting two red stones in point-scoring position.
Muirhead goes around the other side with her final shot of the end and is a width away from a perfect draw.
It leaves three points on the table for Sweden, however, but Hasselborg opts to clear Muirhead’s last shot and take the two - which reestablishes Sweden’s lead.
Winter Olympics: Team GB 5-5 Sweden
Back with the hammer, Sweden find themselves in a decent position with two guards, but Vicky Wright nestles a lovely shot to join the previous yellow stone on the inside of the ring.
Sweden still have a red stone in there for company. Sara McManus nudges the guard on, setting up a back red, but leaving the two yellows in the centre.
Muirhead takes over and gets contact on their own stone - it nudges the red stone further away but rather leaves the two yellows open for Sweden to knock clear.
Sweden only get contact on one of the two while clearing another of the reds in there in the process. It leaves three yellows in point-scoring position.
Muirhead sets up the high guard, now can Sweden limit the damage? Hasselborg nudges their own guard forward, and that’s another point for Team GB.
It’s a steal, too, and they’re back level!
Winter Olympics: Team GB 4-5 Sweden
Sweden look confident of shutting out a two-point end after managing to split the house and edging a red stone behind the high yellow marker.
As Muirhead takes over, she nestles a yellow on the inside of far-left Swedish stone. Sweden go for the knockout and catch it nicely. It takes away any chance of a two-point end, and Muirhead is forced to settle for the single point with the final stone.
The hammer goes back to Sweden.
Winter Olympics: Team GB 3-5 Sweden
There is very little in-house action in the third end, which from early on looked as if it was heading towards a blank end with Sweden having the hammer in hand.
The guards at the top of the house are cleared as Muirhead takes over, pinning a nice shot to the back of the ring where GB already had a stone on the outside.
Sweden go for the clear-out, but no - the GB stone clings on after colliding off the back marker.
Advantage GB.
Muirhead sets up a split, so even though Sweden take a point with their final shot that finds the middle, GB get the hammer back next.
Winter Olympics: Team GB 3-4 Sweden
Sweden open the door for Team GB to cut the early lead as they take out a couple of their own stones while attempting to knock away a yellow guard.
It leaves three British stones in the house, one quiet far back, with only a couple of Swedish efforts to come. Sweden and GB exchange positions on the right-edge with a couple of shots on the nose.
Sweden are unable to remove more than one stone, so Muirhead can simply clean up the final Sweden stone to take a three-point end.
Good response, that, after the disastrous first end.
Winter Olympics: Team GB vs Sweden
Team GB’s Hailey Duff gets us underway with the first yellow Team GB stone. Duff misses with her first shot to the house as the red GB stone goes long, leaving two Sweden stones in the ring.
As Jennifer Dodds gets her first draw, things go from bad to worse for Team GB, even at this early stage, as another yellow stone runs through to leave three reds in the house.
Vicky Wright is able to take two reds out with one shot - but it’s still looking good for Sweden with hammer in hand. Wright’s second shot is a cracker, knocking another two Sweden stones out of the ring to them down to one with two shots each left to go.
Eve Muirhead’s first shot slides a touch further on than she had perhaps planned and it keeps Sweden in commanding position, and all they need to do is play a safe shot to make it three stones in point-scoring position.
Muirhead cannot do enough with her last shot, it doesn’t even reach the house - and that is bad news for Team GB. It’s four points for Sweden in the first end. A devastating start.
Winter Olympics: Team GB vs Sweden
Sweden have the hammer to start the first end.
Here we go folks.
Winter Olympics: Team GB vs Sweden
Rhona Howie, the 2002 Olympic champion, speaking to the BBC:
“Team GB have won their last three matches against Sweden. [Sweden skipper] Anna Hasselborg struggled massively against Eve at the European Championships recently and it could be a tough afternoon for them again.”
Winter Olympics: Team GB vs Sweden
Eve Muirhead will be using all of her experience as she prepares for another crucial knockout match at a Winter Olympics.
Now at her fourth Olympics, Muirhead faced playoff matches in both 2014 and 2018. Although her Team GB side failed to progress to the gold medal match, Muirhead won a bronze medal in Sochi and knows that it is a different competition once the round-robin phase is over.
A European Championship victory in Norway earlier this year gave Muirhead’s side experience of winning when it matters and the GB skip is hoping for more of the same today.
“I always say that the round-robin is one competition and the playoffs is another one,” Muirhead said after progressing through to the last four. “There are things we need to reset but I definitely think that as a team, we are a playoffs team.
“We’ve proven that we’re capable of winning that gold medal as a group, so we will go hard tomorrow.”
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