Great Britain’s men’s curling team secured their place in the Olympic final with a dramatic 8-5 victory over the previously undefeated Swiss side on Thursday night. The win came after a tense semi-final at the Cortina rink, where Bruce Mouat’s remarkable seventh-end shot turned the match in Britain’s favour. The team, who only qualified for the knockout stages after Italy’s defeat to Switzerland earlier that day, will now face Canada for the gold medal on Saturday.
Hammy McMillan described the week as “an emotional rollercoaster”, adding that the team had to fight extremely hard after a slow start. The match was played in front of a raucous crowd, including Scottish fans with songs and a bagpiper. The pivotal moment came in the seventh end when Mouat executed a “run back triple takeout”, removing three Swiss stones and limiting them to a single point instead of a potential three. Mouat called it one of the best shots of his career, and McMillan praised him as “one of the best shotmakers in the world”.
Britain stole two points in the sixth end and added another two in the eighth to take a 6-5 lead into the final end. The Swiss, coached by Canadian legend Glenn Howard, had been unbeaten in the round robin but faltered under pressure. Their final stone miss sparked wild celebrations from the British team, with Bobby Lammie nearly hitting the referee with his broom. Mouat, who has played 16 consecutive days at the Games, faces a tough final against Canada, a team they beat in last year’s world championship semi-final.
The British women’s team, however, missed out on the semi-finals despite a 7-4 win over Italy. Their 5-4 record required Switzerland to beat the USA, but the Swiss fell just short, ending their hopes.
