Great Britain's men's curling team faces an anxious wait to determine their Olympic semi-final fate, with their destiny resting on the outcomes of two critical round-robin matches scheduled for Thursday morning. The team, led by skip Bruce Mouat, delivered a commanding performance on Wednesday afternoon, defeating the United States 9-2, but this victory alone does not guarantee progression.
Dominant Victory Over the United States
In a must-win encounter against the United States, Britain established early control by scoring a point in each of the first two ends. A pivotal mistake from American skip Daniel Casper in the third end allowed Mouat's side to steal four additional points, building a formidable 6-2 lead at the halfway mark. Britain further solidified their dominance by securing three more points in the sixth end, prompting the Americans to concede with a handshake.
Awaiting External Results
With all their matches now completed, Britain's hopes hinge on the results of Thursday's session, where Italy will face Switzerland and Norway will take on Canada. Losses by Italy and Norway in their respective matches on Wednesday have kept Britain in contention, but they require favourable outcomes from these final fixtures to secure a top-four position and advance to the semi-finals.
Bruce Mouat reflected on the team's position, stating, "We're doing a lot of good things, so we're just having to hope for other results to go our way now. It's looking all right for us at the minute but it's hard to be in that position when you're out of control." He added that despite the pressure, he remains "oddly calm" and hopeful for a positive turn of events.
Team's Perspective and Strategy
Team member Hammy McMillan Jr. emphasised the team's focus on monitoring the decisive matches closely, noting, "I'll probably be watching the shot-by-shot or I'll be watching it on my phone or something. But we will be following both games tomorrow very closely." He explained that the situation requires only one of the competing teams to lose for Britain to qualify, treating the competition as two distinct events: the qualifier for the semi-finals and then a fresh start in the knockout stages.
British Women's Team Keeps Hopes Alive
In a parallel development, the British women's curling team maintained their semi-final aspirations with a dramatic last-gasp victory over America. Rebecca Morrison executed a perfect double take-out in the final end to secure an 8-7 win, describing it as one of her best-ever throws. The team must now win their remaining matches against Japan and Italy to have any chance of advancing, with Morrison highlighting the electric atmosphere and team spirit as key factors in their performance.
As the Cortina Curling Stadium prepares for Thursday's decisive matches, both British teams remain in the hunt, with the men relying on external results and the women controlling their own destiny through must-win games.
