Great Britain's men's curling team have narrowly secured a place in the semi-finals at the Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, keeping their aspirations of defending or surpassing their silver medal from Beijing alive. The team, led by skip Bruce Mouat, progressed only after other results fell in their favour on Thursday, following a tense wait during the final round-robin matches.
Nail-Biting Qualification Scenario
Team GB required either Italy or Norway to lose both of their final two round-robin games to advance. After both nations suffered defeats on Wednesday, the British squad faced an anxious Thursday as Norway built a commanding 7-2 lead over already-qualified Canada before being pegged back, while Italy engaged in a tight contest with unbeaten Switzerland.
Italy's Crucial Loss Seals GB's Fate
Italy's hopes were dashed when skip Joel Retornaz missed an opportunity to score three points in the eighth end with a poor penultimate stone, leading to a 9-5 loss. This defeat ensured Britain scraped into the semi-finals with a 5-4 record, while Magnus Ramsfjell's Norway is now in pole position to clinch the final qualifying spot.
Round Robin Standings and Context
Switzerland dominated the round robin with a perfect record of eight wins from eight matches, while Canada, embroiled in a cheating controversy, secured second place with seven wins and one defeat. Team GB's qualification came despite a mixed performance in Cortina, highlighted by a resounding 9-2 victory over the USA on Wednesday that underscored their world-class status.
Mouat's Reaction to the Tense Wait
Bruce Mouat expressed relief after the qualification, stating, "This is a horrible position to be in, honestly! Just having to watch other games and hope that the results are going our way is not the ideal position to be in. But so far so good and we obviously need tomorrow probably to be the same. We're just gonna have to sit and keep our fingers and our toes crossed and see what happens."
Upcoming Semi-Finals
The semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday evening at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, where Team GB will aim to build on their hard-fought qualification and advance to the medal rounds. The team's resilience and strategic play will be tested as they seek to improve upon their silver medal achievement from the previous Olympics.
