Curling at Beijing 2022 had it all. New countries emerged to take on the usual world order, a first-ever extra end in a men’s Olympic final to decide the gold medal, and Team GB secured their only medals of the Games – a gold and a silver – in the sport.
Known as chess on ice, curling started two days before the spectacular opening ceremony on Friday 4 February, such were the number of matches to pack in. The drama built to a crescendo with the mixed doubles – in only its second appearance at an Olympic Winter Games – through the round robin matches before peaking in the medal matches with gold for debutants Italy who shocked the world by going through the entire tournament.
The flow then ebbed as the men’s and women’s matches began, which continued to the final day on 20 February with the women’s gold-medal match, won by Great Britain. The previous day’s men’s edition was won by Sweden, the only nation to win a medal in all three competitions.
Top 3 moments
1- Undefeated debutants Italy stun the world
No one told Italy about the world order of curling titans expected to take gold in the mixed team event at Beijing 2022.
Not only were the duo of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner making a debut appearance for Italy at an Olympic Winter Games but they went on to claim the gold medal – doing so without losing a single game in the tournament, going 11-0 and scything through the big curling nations.
In the final at the National Aquatics Centre, the Italian pair beat the husband and wife pairing of Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten, Norway’s power couple, 8-5 to take the ultimate prize. Quite the boon heading into the next Olympic Winter Games, which will take place in their home nation, at Milano-Cortina 2026.
2 – Sweden’s Niklas Edin finally completes the set
Swedish skip Niklas Edin finally claimed the Olympic gold medal he craved after finishing fourth, third and second consecutively at the previous three editions of the Olympic Winter Games. His team, which also included Oskar Eriksson (who made history as the curler who has won the most medals at an Olympic Winter Games with four), beat Great Britain 5-4 in the first ever extra-end men’s final in Olympic history. Team GB’s silver medal was their first medal of Beijing 2022, coming on the penultimate day of the Games.
3 – Team GB women win gold
On the last day of the Games, Great Britain won their first gold medal courtesy of the women’s curling team. Skip Eve Muirhead had won the full complement of medals at world championship levels as well as an Olympic bronze at Sochi 2014 (where she became the youngest skip to win an Olympic medal). Her side qualified for the semi-finals at PyeongChang 2018 but did not make it to the gold-medal match. In the fight for bronze they were up against Japan, a game they lost 5-3, to finish in the dreaded fourth place. Up against the same nation in the final this time around in Beijing, Muirhead and her team made no mistake, this time finishing in the best place of all: Olympic gold medallists as they saw out a 10-3 win.
What they said
I don’t work any more in the shop. I’m in the sports team with the police in Italy, so from now on curling will be my job.
Italy’s Stefania Constantini on whether she will still work as a retail shop assistant after winning curling mixed team gold.
It’s an insane end to this tournament, both the semifinal and the final are incredibly well-played and tough matches. We fought all the way to the end and it was down to millimetres in many situations in both games. It feels so crazy, I almost had to ask someone before I came here, ‘We have won, right?’
Sweden’s Niklas Edin on his disbelief at finally winning gold after coming fourth, third and second in three previous, consecutive, Olympic Winter Games.
Vicky (Wright) is kind of mother within the team. She is a nurse and I think we have to take our hats off to what she has done during Covid. She was working through Covid as a nurse in the hospital and still working several days a week. She is someone who just cares so much about everyone. She would give her right arm to help someone.
Eve Muirhead may get the spotlight as skip but is happy to pay tribute to her teammates, especially Vicky Wright who managed to put in enough training to win Olympic gold while also working as a nurse during the pandemic.
Full medal list in curling at Beijing 2022
Mixed team:
Gold: Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner (Italy)
Silver: Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten (Norway)
Bronze: Almida De Val of Sweden and Oskar Eriksson (Sweden)
Women’s team:
Gold: Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff (Great Britain)
Silver: Yoshida Yurika, Suzuki Yumi, Yoshida Chinami and Fujisawa Satsuki (Japan)
Bronze: Anna Hasselborg, Sara McManus, Agnes Knochenhauer and Sofia Mabergs (Sweden)
Men’s team:
Gold: Daniel Magnusson, Christoffer Sundgren, Rasmus Wranaa, Oskar Eriksson and Niklas Edin (Sweden)
Silver: Bruce Mouat, Hammy McMillan, Bobby Lammie and Grant Hardie (Great Britain)
Bronze: Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Marc Kennedy and Brad Gushue (Canada)
