Great Britain's men's curling team suffered a devastating 9-6 defeat to Canada in the Olympic final, leaving players in tears after a tense match decided on the final stone. The loss marks another silver medal for Bruce Mouat's rink, who were widely considered the world's best team after winning two world championships and multiple other titles in recent years.
Grant Hardie expressed his heartbreak, saying, 'We lost that final four years ago. It took us a long time to get over it and find the motivation to go again, and unfortunately it just didn't quite happen.' His cousin Hammy McMillan added, 'It took me four years to get over the first silver, so it will probably take a lot longer this time.'
The British team led for much of the match, but Canada's Brad Jacobs orchestrated a crucial three-point steal in the ninth end to take an 8-6 lead. Despite having the hammer in the final end, Mouat's team could not recover. Mouat, who has now lost four Olympic medal matches across mixed doubles and men's events, vowed to continue, saying, 'I love the sport, I love my teammates. And I'm not done yet.'
Hardie reflected on the team's motivation after their previous Olympic final loss to Sweden, stating, 'The pain from four years ago was that much, we thought: Let's go and give it another go. We wanted to win it for each other.' The future of the team remains uncertain, with Mouat expressing a desire to continue with his teammates but acknowledging that discussions are needed.
