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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Fraser Watson

Team GB guaranteed second Winter Olympics medal as women’s curlers seal epic win

Team GB have been guaranteed a second medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics after an epic fightback win over Sweden.

Trailing 4-0 early on, the quartet of Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff ran out 12-11 winners after an extra end was needed, and will now face Japan in their gold medal match.

It means an historic double is on the cards for the curling squad with the men's team of Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan also in their final against Sweden on Saturday.

(PA)

Trailing 8-7 after eight ends, the game appeared to turn on a superb shot from British skip Muirhead, who planted four stones in favour of her team to take an 11-8 lead.

However, opposite number Anna Hasselborg then responded in kind to score three points from the final stone of the match, meaning an extra end.

Team GB had the hammer in the decisive sudden death shootout, and to add to the nigh-on unbearable tension, the action was paused as Sweden brought down their coach, Wayne Middaugh, at the halfway stage to discuss tactics.

And once again it all came down to Hasselborg - but this time she was unable to hold her nerve under extreme pressure and remove the stones she needed, as the British side prevailed 12-11.

As the drama unfolded on the BBC coverage, commentator Steve Cram struggled to contain his delight as he exclaimed "Great Britain are in the final! They've done it! They don't even have to play the last stone!

"They thought they had done it once, they had to do it again.

"What a journey this has been. Have you ever seen so much drama?"

The men's team will also play for a gold medal (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

It wasn't the only semi-final to go to the wire, with the Japanese stunning the Switzerland team to win 8-6.

The gold medal match will take place at 1.05am GMT on Sunday morning.

The two curling teams have salvaged what had previously been a deflating games for Team GB, with a number of medal prospects falling by the wayside.

In the mixed doubles event, Mouat and Dodds agonisingly lose their final four match 6-5 against Norway, before going on to lose to Sweden in their bronze medal play-off.

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