Olympic Curling-Sweden aims for Pekingsvep, Canada seeks redemption | The Mighty 790 KFGO
By Hritika Sharma
(Reuters) – Niklas Edin has jumped over his rink to two podium places in the winter games, five World Cup kronor and seven European titles, and even though the Olympic gold has so far escaped him, the Swede aims to correct it in Beijing.
Last year, Edin and his teammates became the first curling team for men to win three straight world championships and they will offer another first in Beijing when they try to be the first Swedes to win gold in the men’s competition at an Olympics.
Edin came close in Pyeongchang and lost to the United States in the final.
It’s not just Edin and his rink who will return to the Olympic scene – all medal winners from 2018, both in the men’s and women’s fields, are back for another chance at glory.
Standing in Sweden’s path is the Swiss team that was skipped by Benoit Schwarz, who won bronze in 2018, and the US jump John Shuster, with the Americans among the favorites again after their triumph in Pyeongchang.
In the women’s field, the reigning champions Sweden are ready to repeat their successes in 2018 despite Anna Hasselborg’s foursome finishing a surprising four at last year’s world championships after losing to the USA in the bronze match.
South Korea’s “Garlic Girls” led by Kim Eun-jung, who took silver at home after a dream run to the final, along with 2018 bronze medalists Japan and 2021 World Cup winner Switzerland are also in the mix.
However, the competition is not without newcomers.
Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt qualified for the mixed doubles competition to become the first Olympic curlers from Australia.
The Czech Republic will also make its debut with Zuzana Paulova and Tomas Paul when the competition kicks off on 2 February.
Canada, the sport’s superpower, won the inaugural mixed doubles competition in 2018 but will be looking to solve itself in Beijing after failing to win a medal in the men’s or women’s competitions in South Korea for the first time.
The women’s team, which before 2018 had won a medal in all previous Olympics, did not go further than the preliminary stage. The men had won gold in Turin, Vancouver and Sochi but lost to the United States in the semifinals.
John Morris and Rachel Homan will try to defend the title in mixed doubles while Brad Gushue and Jennifer Jones, gold medalists in 2006 and 2014 respectively, aim to put Canada back at the top in the men’s and women’s competitions.
(Report by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Edited by Peter Rutherford)