Mens Curling Final: GB into gold match after 8-5 semi win
Great Britain beat Switzerland 8-5 to reach the mens curling final in Cortina, guaranteeing Team GB a fourth medal at these Winter Olympics and setting up a gold-medal clash with Canada on Saturday at 18: 05 GMT (1: 05 p. m. ET).
Mens Curling Final set: GB to face Canada
Bruce Mouat and his rink — Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie — closed out the semi-final 8-5, earning a spot in Saturday's final against Canada at 18: 05 GMT. The victory means the British quartet, the reigning world champions and top of the world rankings, will play for Olympic gold after upgrading from their silver four years ago.
Mouat’s shot swung the semi
The match turned in the seventh end when Mouat executed a run-back triple takeout that denied Switzerland what looked like a three-point gain; the Swiss were left needing a draw to score one. Britain then scored two in the next end to lead 6-5 heading into the 10th, and the final finished 8-5. Mouat levelled the game earlier with a composed draw in the third end, and the British stole the sixth after the Swiss vice-skip missed a hammer shot.
Emotion on ice and a rare mishap
Team members and supporters felt the stakes: vice-skip Grant Hardie said, "It will be the biggest match of our lives and we're so excited to get that opportunity again. " Hammy McMillan described the week as "an emotional rollercoaster. " The semi also featured an unusual moment when a Swiss curler took a tumble on a Great Britain stone during play, an incident commentators noted is not commonly seen.
Britain only reached the knockout phase after a late turn in the round robin. The British men had struggled earlier in the tournament and advanced to the medal matches only because Italy lost a decisive group-stage game to Switzerland on Thursday morning; by Thursday night the GB team had beaten the previously unbeaten Swiss 8-5 to book their place in the final.
Women’s hopes end as men guarantee a medal
The British women’s team saw its medal hopes end earlier in dramatic fashion. Rebecca Morrison’s rink beat Italy 7-4 in their final round-robin match, but Switzerland failed to beat the United States and that result left the women outside the medals. The men’s result, by contrast, ensured Britain would leave Cortina with at least one more podium finish.
Saturday’s final at 18: 05 GMT (1: 05 p. m. ET) against Canada is the next confirmed event for the British men; they will aim to convert their guaranteed medal into gold in that match.
