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Keystone
Starting as the sovereign first of the round robin in the semi-finals, the Swiss curlers around Skip Silvana Tirinzoni have to travel home from the Olympic Games without a medal.
The two-time world champions are defeated by the Swedes, the 2018 Olympic champions, 7-9 in the bronze medal match.
After four years of work with the aim of winning an Olympic medal, the outcome of the Winter Games is extremely bitter for the CC Aarau curlers. As in the 6:8 semi-final once morest Japan, they were never able to show the high level in the match once morest the Swedes led by Anna Hasselborg, which had distinguished them in the eight wins in nine round robin games.
No curling medal for the second time
As now in Beijing, the Swiss curling teams only failed to contribute a medal to the haul of the Swiss delegation in Sochi in 2014. The men from CC Geneva and the Glarus mixed duo each took 7th place.
The game for bronze went badly for the Swiss for a long time. Starting with the advantage of the last stone, they had a stone stolen in the 1st end. From there to the decisive 2:6 following six ends, they only marked one point with the last stone, while the Swedes, for their part, converted the last stone into a two-house and a three-house – as it should be. The Swiss women only managed to get the first two in the 7th end, when they were already clearly behind. With a triple in the 9th end, they came within a stone, but Hasselborg secured the win with the last stone in the 10th end.
Mistakes across the team
Mistakes and shortcomings ran through the entire Swiss team from the start. After the 6th end, the Swiss women had an average rate of only 72 percent of successful attempts, while the Scandinavians achieved 85 percent. 85 percent is roughly what is required in a world-class game. Alina Pätz lost a full 25 percent in fourth position to Anna Hasselborg (63:88).
If the Swiss women were not able to demonstrate their well-known high level in the games where the medals were at stake, one should not forget the extraordinarily good impression they made in the long-term competition of the round robin.
The live ticker to read
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10. End: Switzerland – Sweden 7:9
The Swiss do not make the turnaround, the dream of the medal has burst.
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9th end: Switzerland – Sweden 7:8
Switzerland is still alive and shortened to 7:8. However, the Swedes still have the advantage as they have the last stone in the 10th end.
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8th end: Switzerland – Sweden 4:8
The Swedes write two stones and remain clearly on bronze course. The task for the Swiss women seems almost impossible – it would be like a small curling miracle if they might turn things around here.
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7th end: Switzerland – Sweden 4:6
Switzerland has a great chance of a three-way house, but Alina Pätz shows nerves and cannot place the last stone as desired. The Swiss can only write two stones and are clearly behind with 4: 6.
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6. End: Switzerland – Sweden 2:6
Is that already the preliminary decision? The Swiss continue to make a lot of mistakes and on the other hand Sweden are playing big. In the sixth end, the Swedes can write three stones and pull away 6:2. Now Tirinzoni, Pätz and Co. need a little curling miracle…
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5th end: Switzerland – Sweden 2:3
Again the Swiss did not remain flawless and when the Swedes had two stones in the house before the last attempt and a double takeout seemed impossible, Pätz was forced to write a stone. The Swiss can shorten the gap, but it will be very difficult to turn things around here.
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4th end: Switzerland – Sweden 1:3
This time the Swedes don’t need to be asked twice, write two stones and grab the lead once more. The Swiss now have the last stone once more, but they have to catch up from a 1:3 deficit.
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3rd end: Switzerland – Sweden 1:1
The house is empty before the last stone. However, the Swedes forgo the point and the lead and prefer to keep the advantage of the last stone.
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2nd end: Switzerland – Sweden 1:1
That too! When swiping a Swiss stone, it is touched and must be removed from play. The Swedes can take advantage and force the Swiss to make more mistakes. Ultimately, however, Pätz can still succeed with her last stone and equalize for Switzerland.
Who will win the bronze game? Keystone
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1st end: Switzerland – Sweden 0:1
Pity! The Swiss might almost have written two stones in the first end, but Alina Pätz’s last stone didn’t make it past the Swedish guard. The Scandinavians steal a stone from the Swiss and take the lead.
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Here we go!
The Swedes begin. Also means: The Swiss women have the advantage of the last stone in the first end.
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It’s regarding to start
The voltage increases. It starts at 1:05 p.m. in Beijing. Hop Schwiiz!
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Between disappointment and bronze hope
Actually, Silvana Tirinzoni and her teammates would of course have preferred to play for gold. But once morest the Japanese, who were defeated 8:4 in the round robin on Thursday, there was a bitter 6:8 defeat in the semifinals on Friday.
“It’s hard for us, we’re sad,” said Melanie Barbezat following the defeat. “We played the nine games in the round robin so well and now we’re losing this match that was so important to us.” The Seelander, who plays in first position, summarized what her teammates Esther Neuenschwander, Silvana Tirinzoni and Alina Pätz also felt.
The Swedes around Skip Anna Hasselborg, who are used to success and the Olympic champions in Pyeongchang, have the same problem. The Scandinavians also have less than 24 hours to get the disappointment and disillusionment following the semifinals – they lost once morest the British 11:12 following an extra end – out of their heads and out of their souls. The team that does better will have the better chance of a medal.
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Is there the 15th medal today?
Hello and welcome to the bronze game of the Swiss curlers once morest Sweden.
If Switzerland wins, it would be the 15th medal at these Olympic Games. This would set the Swiss record for the total number of medals: Calgary 1988 and Pyeongchang 2018 already had 15 medals each. In Beijing we are currently at 14, but it is already the most successful Winter Games of all time for Switzerland with seven gold, two silver and five bronze medals.
Keystone