SHOT AT GLORY
Team GB guaranteed second Winter Olympics medal as women’s curling team beat Sweden in semi-final sudden death thriller
EVE MUIRHEAD banished her previous Olympics semi-final heartbreak to secure Team GB two shots at curling glory this weekend following sudden-death drama.
The Scottish stone sisterhood of Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jennifer Dodds and Hailey Duff beat the reigning champions Sweden 12-11 after a tense extra end in Beijing.
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Muirhead, 31, had lost in the semis in Sochi in 2014 – she regrouped that time to win the bronze – and then four years ago against the same Scandinavian opposition.
But having only squeezed through qualifying a week before Christmas, and also having needed the mathematics of the Draw Shot Challenge to make it out of the round robin, the latecomers are defying the odds once more.
It required an 11th end to determine their fate and when Sweden realised the game was up, they conceded, leaving Muirhead and the posse to celebrate a famous win.
On Sunday, they will now play Japan – 8-6 winners over Switzerland – the day after the men’s side, expertly led by captain Bruce Mouat, take on Sweden in the gold medal game.
Skip Muirhead said: “It is third time lucky. I've lost two semi-finals before and I was desperate for it. These moments and opportunities don't come around very often.
“I'm so proud of these girls. It is such a team game and all week we have dug so deep. I'm pretty speechless right now but what a moment. It sounds amazing to say we're in an Olympic final.”
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At the start of more than three hours of curling combat, Britain had a disastrous first end as they conceded FOUR to the reigning Olympic champions as Muirhead massively misjudged her final stone draw.
It was the worst opening end to a game in her 12-year career as skip at this highly-pressured level.
Heads could have really dropped at this point and the scoreline could have quickly got away from the four Scots, three of whom are rookies on the biggest stage of all.
A score of three in the second end steadied the inevitable nerves and ensured the Swedes would not run away with it in the early stages.
By the halfway point of five ends completed, it was 5-5 and Muirhead was fist-pumping coach David Murdoch in the break as they had managed to close the deficit.
This was becoming a real tactical battle with Swedish skip Anna Hasselborg as well with the influential third Sara McManus, the daughter of former Southampton footballer Stuart.
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The tension inside the Ice Cube – the venue for the swimming at the 2008 Beijing Olympics – continued to ratchet up as the ends were chalked off.
In the second half of this game, Sweden were “running scared” and “shaking in their boots”, according to Rhona Martin, the former Ayrshire housewife who knows a thing or two about the destiny of stones.
After going 7-5 down, Britain then drew level in the seventh end at 7-7 with a two.
A superb final takeout by Perthshire pusher Muirhead gave the Brits a FOUR that moved them 11-8 ahead and seemingly with one foot in the final.
Sweden’s excellent three in the 10th end meant the clash went into stoppage-time but they soon realised the game was up.
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