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Swedish men secure Sochi curling bronze

The Swedish men's curling team in Sochi on Friday secured the Olympic bronze medal off the Chinese, who gave up on medal place after a series of blunders.

Published: 21 February 2014 13:22 CET

Swedish men secure Sochi curling bronze

The Swedish men's curling team celebrate their bronze in Sochi. Photo: TT

"I have never seen anything like it," Viasat curling expert Annette Norberg told the Aftonbladet newspaper on Friday after the Chinese team twice failed to let go of the stone in time.

"But it's an easy thing to do when you're a bit nervous. This match had it all," she added.

Swedish curler Victor Kjäll said a bit of help from on high had helped them win 6-4.

"The curling gods were with us today," Kjäll told the newspaper.

IN PICTURES: See some of the best snaps from team Sweden at the Sochi games

As the men's coach Eva Lund flew on to the ice to hug the men after their win, Swedish sports commentators remembered the very near miss four years ago in Vancouver, when the Swiss pried victory out of the Swedes' hands.

The team had to settle for fourth in 2010, which, the team said ahead of Friday's game, had made them all the more determined to take home a piece of metal this year. Niklas Edin, Sebastian Kraupp, Fredrik Lindberg and Viktor Kjäll thus gave Sweden its 14th medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

It was the second medal in just one hour on Friday as Sweden's Anna Holm took home a ski cross bronze.

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USA curlers celebrate after beating Sweden in Olympic final, despite medal mishap

Matt Hamilton of the United States and Sweden's Oskar Eriksson during the men's curling final at Gangneung Curling Centre. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT

Skip John Shuster and his team wore puzzled looks as they realised they had been given women's medals instead of men's after their 10-7 victory on Saturday.

But Shuster brushed off the mix-up as the team celebrated their famous and unexpected victory, which was sealed by a rare five-pointer with two ends to go.

“It's no big deal,” beamed Shuster, who was competing at his fourth Olympics and was part of the USA team that took bronze in Turin in 2006.

“From the first time we stepped onto the ice to the last rock we threw I'll never stop thinking what these guys have done for me,” he added, smiling at his team-mates.

Sweden, whose skip Niklas Edin made a couple of crucial errors, reduced the gap to three points going into the last end but the Swedes finally conceded with one stone left.

Shuster delivered a hammer (last throw) blow that lifted the Americans five points clear 10-5.

“It feels almost unbelievable, but we came out here with great intensity and just had to believe we could do it, and make our shots,” said America's Matt 'Ham' Hamilton.

Carl XVI Gustaf, the Swedish monarch, was amongst the amongst the 3,000 crowd for the final in Gangneung, as was Ivanka Trump, daughter of US president Donald Trump.

The teams were led out for the curling climax by a kilted Korean playing 'Scotland The Brave' on bagpipes, in a nod to the sport's origins in medieval Scotland.

The Swedes were 2-0 up by the second end, but the US team levelled immediately, and went 3-2 up in the fourth end with their yellow stone deemed an infinitesimal amount closer to the tee than Sweden's red.

The irked Swedes make for dangerous foes and they wasted no time bouncing back, skip Edin throwing a perfect hammer to put the Scandinavians back in front at 4-3.

But to enthusiastic support from supporters in stars and stripes, Shuster had his men back in front at 5-4 after a mistake by his opposite number.

Shuster then pulled off his master throw to secure the US a stunning five-pointer to go 10-5 up and earn the US a famous success.

READ ALSO: Sweden's Myhrer wins shock gold in Olympic men's slalom

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