Team Anette Norberg of Sweden, heavy-metal queens (photo) and now Queens of Curling, received flowers tonight and will receive Olympic gold medals tomorrow night at Medals Plaza in nearby downtown Turin.Hammerfall will be pleased.
It was tough battle against Switzerland's Mirjam Ott, who scores Olympic silver for the second Games in a row (she played third for Luzia Ebnother in Salt Lake City).
The see-saw clash saw Ott suffer a bad pick on her last rock of the seventh end to trail 5-2. But she made a great angle-tap for a deuce in the eighth – mysteriously left for her by Norberg – and she did a great job of forcing the Swedes to a single in the ninth. Then came a classic deuce for the tie in ten, and an extra-end.
The Swiss threatened yet again, but Norberg chose a double-takeout – a hit and roll would have done it – on her last puck to claim glory.
Tomorrow sees the USA and Brits battle for bronze, and then Canada's Russ Howard/Brad Gushue meets the amazing Finns, skipped by U-15, for gold. Back on The Rock, the provincial government has offically closed all schools tomorrow so kids can watch the Gushies in action... and we have our eyes peeled for the Premier, who is rumoured to be considering a late flight in for the match.
Elsewhere:
• Today’s edition of the BBC’s Ask Anna features curling;
• Relax, Kiwis... there's no way your Olympic curlers dislike each other, they’re far too friendly at the core;
• The Curling News had an interesting run-in with some U.S. journos, and while it's not precisely what was said, it's close enough;
• Americans are still buzzing about the sport, in Colorado... and in Wayland, Mass. (is that near Lowell, anyone?)... of course in Minny, the heartland of the U.S. Olympic teams... in Laurel, Maryland... in Fargo (yah)... and even Super Bowl City, Pittsburgh...
Let me apologize for the ignoramus from the KC Star. American sports reporters are like that, always dissing any sport that does not revolve around being the fastest, strongest, and trash-talkingest. I'm not a curler, but having competitive experience in bowling, golf, and chess, I say your sport is da bomb. Conceding a match when you're six rocks down with one end to play is perfectly sensible -- I could certainly see playing on, but as in a chess game, when your goose is cooked, there's nothing wrong with conceding. Rock on!
ReplyDeleteOh, and Wayland (my old hometown, and now a source of regret that I never got involved in the curling club there!) is not too far from Lowell -- about... or, should I say, "aboat" an hour's drive.
ReplyDeleteUrb