Winter Olympics closing ceremony LIVE: Team GB women win first gold medal in curling as Beijing Games end
Follow latest updates from Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 as Team GB chase their first medal of the Games
Great Britain’s women, led by Eve Muirhead, went one better than the men in their gold medal match against Japan at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The men’s team fell short yesterday when Sweden claimed gold to deny Bruce Mouat and his team. Swedish skip Niklas Edin proved too good and repeated their victory over Great Britain in a 2014 semi-final. Muirhead overcame almost impossible odds to steer her women’s curling team into the Olympic final where she completed an incredible journey to finally fulfil an ambition that appeared beyond her after a decade at the top of her sport. Team coach Murdoch put her chances of salvaging victory at “less than 10 per cent” after shipping four shots in a disastrous opening end to defending Olympic champions Sweden, but they clawed back to clinch a thrilling 12-11 victory in an extra end.
In the final, Muirhead guided Great Britain to their first and only gold of the Games, beating Japan 10-3 to claim the joint-biggest margin of victory in a final since the sport was reintroduced in ‘98. With all events now closed and the medals handed out, it only remains for the closing ceremony to take place and the baton to be passed on to Italy.
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Winter Olympics: Four-man bobsleigh update
Britain’s four-man bobsleigh team have dropped off and are now 1.17 seconds off the lead time after completing their third run.
The gold and silver was always a stretch due to the Germans’ excellence.
So the real difference to focus on is the 0.52 seconds off bronze as they lie in sixth place.
Winter Olympics curling final: Team GB 2-1 Japan - after 3rd end
GB in a fine position here, one up and with the hammer. Japan need some magic.
Winter Olympics curling final: Team GB 2-1 Japan - after 3rd end
Winter Olympics curling final: Team GB 2-1 Japan - after 3rd end
GB have the hammer for the fourth coming up.
It’s a blanked end.
88 per cent accuracy compared to Japan’s 84 per cent accuracy so far.
Winter Olympics curling final: Team GB 2-1 Japan - 3rd end
GB looking to take out two Japanese stones.
Japan didn’t get enough separation, it’s heavy, but it clips the second to remove both from the house. Excellent.
Winter Olympics curling final: Team GB 2-1 Japan - after 2nd end
Japan goes in hard and it’s just the one point, a reprieve for GB.
Winter Olympics curling final: Team GB 2-0 Japan - 2nd end
Japan remove two stones, but GB have one more in the house.
Japan has the hammer. Muirhead with a decisive stone here for consecutive positive ends to start this final.
Way down the right, Muirhead cannons off the red and back inside to the button where another yellow lies.
Japan with one stone to disrupt the two yellows in the house for GB.
Winter Olympics curling final: Team GB 2-0 Japan - after 1st end
Nice weight, but not the line for Japan, they kiss into the yellow, just slightly outside the button.
A chance for Team GB here. Bravo! Muirhead sets up a two with two lovely shots. The yellow nudges the red onto GB’s other yellow close to the button, and the red leaks off.
They grab two with the hammer, it’s 2-0 to start this match.
Winter Olympics curling final: Team GB 0-0 Japan - 1st end
Very close for GB, they almost clip a second red after cannoning the first out of the house.
They could have looked at three or four points had that worked out.
Still, a promising start. Just one stone left for Japan, Muirhead might be eyeing up two here for an ideal start.
Muirhead sits on the closest red, lovely shot. One stone left each. Japan without many options here.
Winter Olympics curling final: Team GB 0-0 Japan - 1st end
Japan have started off a little nervously.
Dodds sends down a stone either side of Japan’s guarding red. It catches it, an opportunity slightly missed for Team GB.
Japan then tap into that previous yellow from GB, a crowded start. Trouble for GB.
Wright with a great stone, it nudges into the house after one of Japan’s reds cannons out.
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