GB Curlers on Brink of Early Exit After Canada Defeat
Hammy McMillan and Bruce Mouat of Team GB are facing a potential early exit from the Winter Olympics following their 9-5 defeat by Canada in Cortina.
Team GB's hopes for a curling medal at the Winter Olympics have been seriously jeopardized after the world champion rink led by Bruce Mouat was beaten by Canada. Arriving in Italy as gold-medal favourites, the British team have lost four of their eight round-robin matches in a campaign marked by narrow margins and missed opportunities.
To reach the semi-finals on Thursday and keep their podium hopes alive, Team GB must defeat the United States in their final round-robin match on Wednesday at 13:05 GMT and rely on favourable results from other games.
The 2022 silver medallists have consistently noted throughout the week that they have played well but have been on the wrong side of close outcomes. This pattern continued against their Canadian rivals high in the Dolomites, where small differences in execution proved decisive.
Canada maintained better composure during critical moments, securing their own advancement in the tournament.
"That wasn't a game where we played well," vice-skip Grant Hardie told . "We made too many mistakes and we're running out of time to put it right. I think we can deliver the right result tomorrow and hopefully get into the semis."
Mouat's rink holds an excellent record against Brad Jacobs' Canadian team, having defeated them in the last four of the World Championships last spring. However, the Canadians were determined to improve their own standing and exact some revenge, starting strongly with a 3-1 lead after three ends.
Despite this, the British team, regarded as the world's best, recovered well. Taking advantage of a slight dip in their opponents' performance, they scored two points in the fourth end and another two in the sixth, leading with four ends remaining.
However, an unfortunate bounce of the granite stone in the seventh end allowed Canada to score three points, which they capitalized on. Mouat and his team needed to respond but were unable to do so, conceding a steal that left them trailing by three points with only two ends left to play.
The deficit proved insurmountable, and Team GB's aspirations to improve upon their silver medal from Beijing are no longer solely in their control.
Meanwhile, GB's women's curling team is also in a precarious position. They must defeat the United States on Wednesday at 08:05, followed by matches against Japan later that day at 18:05 and Italy on Thursday at 13:05 to have a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Men's Curling standings after seven games
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