Sweden takes medals over Beijing Curling Ice
Swedish Anna Hasselborg recovered from a wild loss in the semifinals and beat Switzerland 9-7 to take the women’s Olympic bronze in Beijing.
The win meant that Sweden won medals in all three Olympic disciplines in 2022, including bronze in mixed doubles and gold in team play for men.
Hasselborg’s Olympic champion 2018 took a lead with 3-1 into the fourth end against Silvana Tirinzoni’s foursome. The Swedes added a huge trend in the sixth end for a 6-2 advantage.
Swiss fourth pitcher Alina Paetz had a shot for three in the seventh, but missed and made only two. The two-time defending world champions were now down 6-4.
Sweden then made a pair, followed by a Swiss third and Hasselborg came home leading with 8-7.
She made her final draw to win the medals.
– It is great to go home with a medal, said Hasselborg. “Participating in two Olympics and going home with two Olympic medals is huge.
“(We are) incredibly proud and a little relieved. It was a tough loss yesterday, but we regrouped so well. I am so proud of the cruelty that the team shows.
“For this tournament, the bronze feels like a gold with all the matches we have been in and how we composed as a team.”
Tirinzoni, who won the round robin at the Ice Cube in Beijing, noted Sweden’s early leads.
“I do not know, we made some unusual mistakes,” Tirinzoni said. “I actually have no explanation for that. I felt before the match that we were ready, but then I do not know what happened on the ice.
“I’m sure we played a fantastic week, we were simply not on the right side the last two matches so it’s tough of course. I do not think we will analyze the last two matches tonight, we need some time to “It’s a big disappointment, of course.”
Hasselborg’s team met Niklas Edin’s Olympic champion before the match.
“Just before the match we met them in the mixed zone and we hugged them. We said: ‘let’s celebrate tonight.’ I’m so happy they won the gold. ”
Japanese Satsuki Fujisawa takes on Britain’s Eve Muirhead in the ladies’ championship final, a rematch for the bronze medal game in PyeongChang 2018.