Bruce Mouat and Team GB denied Olympic gold as Canada win men's curling 9-6
bruce mouat's rink left Cortina with silver after Canada beat Team GB 9-6 in the men's curling final, denying Britain a first Olympic men's gold in 102 years and extending their run of second-place finishes from the last Games.
Bruce Mouat's decisive shots and the match turning points
The final finished 9-6 after Canada seized control late. bruce mouat produced a pair of big moments — a double takeout in the sixth end that moved Britain into a 5-4 lead, and in the 10th his second-to-last throw spun in an excellent stone that removed two of Canada’s stones — but Canada answered in the closing ends and turned the game with a three in the ninth to go 8-6 ahead before sealing the 9-6 victory.
A game of ends: how the scoring unfolded
Canada, having finished the round-robin ahead of Team GB and therefore holding the hammer for the first end, were limited to one in that opening end. Britain calmly took two in the second to lead early. Canada then overhauled GB to lead 3-2 after the third end, and Britain clawed a point back to level after four.
At the midway mark Canada led 4-3 after the fifth end when Brad Jacobs failed to blank to retain the hammer. bruce mouat's double takeout in the sixth made it 5-4 to Britain, but the Canadians drew level after seven. The eighth proved crucial: GB missed shots and managed only one, setting up Canada to take three in the ninth and wrest the lead back.
The rink, the pedigree and what this loss means
Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie, with alternate Kyle Waddell, arrived in Cortina as world champions and favourites and left as silver medallists for the second successive Olympics. The Scottish quartet had been left bereft by defeat against Sweden in the final in Beijing four years ago, then went on to dominate internationally: they have won two World Championships, a couple of European crowns and a record 12 Grand Slam titles since the last Games.
The team entered the week believing this was their time, and they reached the final after an epic semi-final win over Switzerland on Thursday that Mouat called "our gold medal". They had also beaten Canada in last year's world semi-final, though Canada beat them in the round-robin earlier in the week and this was the second time Canada had beaten them in five days.
Match atmosphere, rival tensions and reactions
Canada came to the final having had a tumultuous time at the Games amid cheating claims. The match itself saw momentum swing on a handful of missed shots and bold takeouts. A tear-choked Mouat said, "I'm a bit in shock. I think we felt like we were the better team. I don't know what to say. " He also reflected on the week and on inspiring others, noting the support the rink had received and expressing hope the silver could help draw people into the sport.
What happens next
Team GB will leave Cortina as silver medallists, still searching for a men's Olympic gold after a 102-year wait and back-to-back Olympic silvers. Unclear in the provided context is the next scheduled event or detailed recovery plans for the rink.
