Team GB’s women’s curling team are out of contention for a medal after the USA clinched an extra-end win over Switzerland in their final round robin game.
Sophie Jackson’s rink beat Italy 7-4 in their final group stage game on Thursday but were left relying on other results to go their way in order to scrape into the semi-finals – the same position the British men’s rink were in earlier today.
GB had beaten the USA 8-7 in the round robin after the Americans let a lead slip, with a stunning shot from Rebecca Morrison keeping them in contention for the semi-finals.
And it looked like the Americans were about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Switzerland too, as the Swiss scored three in the 10th end to leave the match poised at 6-6 going into an extra end.
The US made a messy start to the extra end but ultimately won by millimetres as Tabitha Peterson, with the hammer, delivered a superb final throw to just edge closer to the button than Switzerland’s two stones in the house.
It was a remarkable comeback but condemns Great Britain, who won the gold medal in Beijing 2022 under skip Eve Muirhead, to a group-stage exit.
Skip Jackson said afterwards: “We wanted to get that win today and wait and see what happens. I’m so, so proud of the team, so proud of the girls. We had a tough start to the week and we did the best we could. I think we were the best team out there by the end of the round robin but unfortunately we just left it too late.”
GB finish the group stage with a 5-4 record and in sixth place in the group stage, with Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada progressing to the semi-finals.
Jen Dodds, who also missed out on a medal in the mixed doubles, finishing fourth, said: “It was the worst feeling of watching an extra end in my life.
“I’ve never, never felt that stress watching an extra end before.
“Obviously, we knew Switzerland needed to win to give us any chance. So, it was a very tense extra end, I can imagine, for the Swiss and the Americans. They played a great last shot and hats off to them.”
Sophie Sinclair said she couldn’t watch the final stages of the Switzerland-USA match, although others in the team chose to. She said: “We could hear the cheers and that was really enough to tell us. Watching curling when it’s not in your hands is really difficult. So I just wanted to sit and wait.”
Britain and Switzerland were both delayed arriving at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium as a result of heavy snowfall in the Dolomites, and Dodds added: “A bus trip that [was meant to take] 10 minutes took 50 minutes. All the organisers and everything were great, they just delayed the game half an hour just to give everyone time. We were maybe considering walking at one point, but then we thought, maybe not the safest!”
Bruce Mouat’s rink pulled off the great escape the women could not, scraping into the semi-finals with a 5-4 record after Italy lost to Switzerland earlier on Thursday, paving the way for the reigning world champions to keep in the hunt for a medal.
Jackson said her rink would come out to support the men’s team, who take on Switzerland in their semi-final later on Thursday.
She said: “Of course, we’ll definitely be here to support the boys tonight. We’ve got their backs all the way. We know what they can do when they’re under pressure and in a championship, so best of luck to them tonight and we’ll be cheering very hard.”
