A brilliant final throw from Rebecca Morrison kept alive Britain’s hopes of an Olympic medal in the women’s curling competition as they beat the United States 8-7.
Following two losses and four wins in their six round-robin matches, the clash on Wednesday morning was a must-win game for Britain at the Cortina Curling Stadium.
America were the first to get a point on the board in the opening end and it was a closely-matched affair up to the halfway mark, with the US just shading it 3-2.
A two-point score for Morrison’s side in the sixth end briefly raised British hopes, but it appeared they were up against it after America took three in the seventh and stole a point in the eighth.
The final two ends produced a thrilling turnaround, though, as Britain took two points in the penultimate before a slight wobble from the Americans allowed Morrison the opportunity to take out their stone on the button to steal two points and victory in the final end.
Morrison said: “We were up against it coming into the last end, stealing two is never easy but we knew there was an outside chance and we gave ourselves that chance with how the end panned out.
“In the hack (the foothold used by players to throw a stone), you just have to stick to your processes and think about how you’re going to come out and make the shot. Afterwards you hope for the best, but I’m absolutely delighted with the outcome there.”
Morrison rates it as one of her best throws, adding: “I think, considering the situation, it’s up there for sure.
“I think that was one of the most electric moments we’ve had as a team. The crowds just lit up there and that was so fantastic for us. Yeah, absolutely overjoyed with that.”
Jennifer Dodds is the only member of the 2022 gold medal-winning British side to still be in the team and she underlined the difficulty of Morrison’s final shot.
She said: “In the 10th end of an Olympic Games, to keep your chances alive, that is a very high-tariff shot. You need to hit a third of the stone and out there for a line you don’t really play often.”
Britain face Japan on Wednesday evening and Italy on Thursday afternoon, knowing victory in both games is essential for their semi-final chances.
Dodds added: “One game at a time – I’m just going to use that classic. We know we still need to win the next two games.
“We have got one tonight against Japan so we’ll need to step up our game. Becca played great that game and the three of us kind of struggled a wee bit.”
