Canada loses against Great Britain, plays against Sweden in curling semifinals for men
Canada’s Brad Gushue ended the round robin game with a 5-2 loss to Britain’s Bruce Mouat on Thursday morning in Beijing.
The 2006 Olympic gold medalist Gushue (5-4) had already secured number 3 in the men’s curling semifinals (Thursday 7:05 ET) and will now play against the three-time reigning world champion Niklas Edin from Sweden for a place in the gold medal game.
Great Britain, which finished at the top of the table with a record of 8-1, surpassed Canada in percentage at each position.
Mouat started with the hammer and never ended up after two points in the opening frame. Gushue took two points directly in the second but that was all the attack Canada could generate.
Great Britain hit for the green light single in the fourth. Canada held the hammer the rest of the way but gave up occasional steals in the sixth and eighth finishes.
Mouat prevented Gushue again in the ninth and Canada did not bother to throw their last, but chose to let in early.
Great Britain will take on the defending Olympic gold medalist John Shuster after the USA (5-4) took the fourth and final playoff spot with a 7-5 victory over Denmark. A draw in the standings was broken based on head-to-head records.
At the same time, the Canadian women’s curling team, which was hoped for by Jennifer Jones, will meet Denmark’s Madeleine Dupont in the women’s tournament ’round-robin final (01:05 ET). Jones is in fourth place with a record of 4-4 and must not only win but will need some help from results in other matches to advance.