The men’s curling team of Great Britain secured the country’s first medal of the Winter Olympics with an 8-4 victory over the United States.
Men’s Curling USA Vs Great Britain
Bruce Mouat’s squad overcame a disastrous beginning and a shaky second half to upset the United States 8-4 and set up a Saturday confrontation with the current world champions, Sweden.
When Mouat was unable to sneak behind a three-stone block on the final throw end in end two, the United States stole two, but in end three, Mouat capitalised on John Shuster’s errant final throw by using the hammer to steal three for Team Great Britain.
After Mouat pushed Shuster’s stone out of the house with the last stone of the fifth end to give Team Great Britain a 5-4 lead, Shuster answered with a beautiful shot to pick up two and give the United States a slim lead.
Over the next three ends, the teams traded blanks, but in the ninth end, Team GB stole one and in the last end, when Shuster’s last attempt at a take-out failed, they stole two more to defeat the defending champions.
On Thursday, the United States and Great Britain met in a men’s curling semifinal, with two of the world’s top skips going head-to-head.
During the first half, the lead switched four times as John Shuster of Team USA and Bruce Mouat of Great Britain sent spectacular shots back and forth.
In the end, the United States lost 8-4 because they ran out of pebbles after Shuster blanked two innings and let Great Britain steal in the ninth.
By Beating the United States, Great Britain has Ensured Itself at Least a Silver Medal at Beijing 2022.
Fears were raised that the United Kingdom would go without a medal at a Winter Olympics for the first time since Albertville 1992 when medal hopefuls like Dave Ryding and Charlotte Bankes failed to place on the podium.
They did exceptionally well in the round robin, winning eight of their nine games.
Their only defeat occurred in their second game, when they faced the United States, but they have since blown through the rest of the opposition to set up this semifinal matchup.
Curling Rules
Curling is not one of the world’s most popular sports, nor is it one likely to attract much television coverage or be something many people will ever play.
However, it is a fascinating game, worthy of the moniker “chess on ice.” It was first developed in Scotland in the 1600s and has since spread in popularity throughout the United Kingdom (especially in Scotland) and the nations to which Scots have emigrated, such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Curling has also gained popularity in many other regions of the world, such as a large portion of Asia and Oceania, and even some of Europe.
Meaning of the Game
Using a long, thin strip of ice called a “pitch,” players try to slide granite stones, also called “rocks,” onto a target area at the other end of the ice.
The game is similar to bowling and shuffleboard (deck). Teams compete for points based on how near their rocks are propelled to the centre of the target, with the trajectory of the stone being affected by teammates sweeping and brushing the ice in front of the stone to change its speed or curl.
Players & Equipment
Players on each of two teams of four use a total of 16 granite stones. The “pitch” is a smooth, flat section of ice that is 45-46 metres in length and 4.5 metres in width. Each end features a “house,” a circular target with blue, white, and red radii of 12 feet, 8 feet, and 4 feet, respectively.
The stones itself weight between 17 and 20kg, are at least 11cm high with a maximum circumference of 91cm and have a handle attached to the top. They are built of granite and the handles are normally red for one side and yellow for the other.
There are no hard and fast rules about what materials can be used for the brushes or brooms used by the two sweepers who follow the boulder down the ice.
In addition, curlers wear special shoes called curling shoes, which are identical to regular sneakers except for one sole being slick to allow sliding.
Curlers typically employ gloves, curling pants, and stopwatches to better gauge the ice’s speed and determine when sweeping is necessary.
Scoring
After each “end” (an end being a set where both teams have thrown all eight stones), the team with the stone closest to the centre of the house is awarded a point.
Further points are granted for each stone of theirs that is closer than the best of the opposition’s.
At least one stone must be “in the house,” or in contact with or overhanging one of the circles, for a player to earn points (due to the shape of the stones).
Gaining Victory in Play
After all ends are played, the winner is the team with the highest point total. Most curling bouts take place over ten or sometimes eight ends.
In the event of a tie after the standard number of ends, one extra “sudden death” end will be played.
Last Words
The British women’s team, who play Sweden in the other semifinal on Friday, will be looking to replicate that success. Thanks for reading our article Men’s Curling USA Vs Great Britain.
