Curling gold medal final LIVE – Team GB and Eve Muirhead claim Olympic gold with dominant win over Japan at Beijing 2022
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Updated 20/02/2022 at 03:57 GMT
Only Japan stand in the way of Eve Muirhead's rink and a Great Britain curling gold at Beijing 2022. After Bruce Mouat's men were denied in an extra end by Sweden at the Ice Cube yesterday, the women's quartet are Team GB's last hope of standing atop an Olympic podium - can Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jennifer Dodds and Hailey Duff do it? Join us for live updates...
Team Great Britain celebrate after defeating Team Japan in the Women's Gold Medal match between Team Japan and Team Great Britain at National Aquatics Centre on February 20, 2022 in Beijing, China.
Image credit: Getty Images
The women’s curling final at the Winter Olympics sees GB take on Japan at the Beijing National Aquatics centre.
Eve Muirhead and her team have a guaranteed silver at worst, but are chasing GB’s first gold of the Games on the final day of action.
Bruce Mouat and the GB men agonisingly lost 5-4 to world champions Sweden in the first extra end in their final on Saturday.
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Curling final result: Great Britain 10-3 Japan
Eve Muirhead first ventured to the Olympics in 2010 as GB skip in Vancouver.
She enjoyed a bronze from the Games in Sochi in 2014, but were played out of the medals by Sweden and Japan at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
Olympic champions Sweden and Japan were despatched four years later as Eve plucks the gold medal from her first final at the world's biggest sporting competition.
A quite glorious performance from the all-Scottish women's team representing GB.
Huge congratulations to Eve, Vicky Wright, Jennifer Dodds, Hailey Duff and reserve Mili Smith for their efforts in Beijiing.
A memorable few hours in British sporting history at the Olympics.
Curling final result: Great Britain 10-3 Japan
Eve Muirhead and her dedicated team are Olympic champions! GB's first gold medal of the Games on the final day. What a way to finish!
Curling final 9th End: Great Britain 10-3 Japan
This completes the career sweep for Eve Muirhead at the age of 31 after winning gold at the World Championships and three European Championships.
GB lie three in the house and are swarming all over their opponents.
Fujisawa takes out two with her final stone, but Eve will draw in the final yellow for another two shots surely..
GB take two...and that is it..Japan concede and GB are Olympic champions!
A magnificent victory for Team GB. Utterly dominant.
Curling final 9th End: Great Britain 8-3 Japan
GB were forced to go the final stone when they won this competition 20 years ago.
That won't be the case today.
These are the 'stones of destiny' rather than Rhona Martin's celebrated 'stone of destiny'.
GB can do no wrong at this moment in time. They lie two with three stones remaining of the penultimate or possibly final end of the final.
Curling final 8th End: Great Britain 8-3 Japan
Fujisawa manages to pluck one from the eighth end, but not the two she desired after overcooking her final red stone.
That will not trouble GB. This final is over.
Japan must be wondering whether or not to continue, but on we go into the ninth.
GB with the hammer. A blank end would be ideal here.
Team Muirhead looking so relaxed.
Curling final 8th End: Great Britain 8-2 Japan
Could be a concession on the horizon.
Japan unfortunately look like a spent force. Unless they can muster two shots from somewhere.
GB lying two right on the button.
Almost like a lap of honour for GB at the Ice Cube, but a brilliant draw from Fujisawa gives Japan shot.
GB will happily give up one or two at worst with the hammer in the ninth end.
Curling final 8th End: Great Britain 8-2 Japan
No time to relax in this final, but GB will not lose this final from here.
Japan are simply not playing well enough while Team Muirhead are completely focussed on the job at hand.
Just a case of game management now for Team GB and seeing this one through professionally to claim their first gold medal of the Games.
What a fantastic position to be in with three ends remaining.
Curling final 7th End: Great Britain 8-2 Japan
One big surge from GB will probably bury this final.
Timing is everything and GB are starting to look very good for that gold medal from this Olympic final.
Muirhead with two stones remaining of the end is trying to work out how she can unearth a double from this end.
Japan lie one inside the four foot, but GB produce a fine stone to gain the advantage.
Two more skip stones to come. Satsuki Fujisawa throws in an error and GB are looking at four from Muirhead's final stone of the seventh end.
Out goes the red via the yellow and GB have FOUR from the seventh end. They are well on their way to gold now.
An 8-2 lead. This match is almost done and dusted.
Curling final 6th End: Great Britain 4-2 Japan
But Japan make a key mistake as Fujisawa fails to knock out the yellow and hold with her red for the two.
GB hold the second shot so only one conceded when two seemed likely.
Real result there for the GB team.
Japan make up ground, but only by one. Four ends remaining, Team Muirhead with a 4-2 lead.
Curling final 6th End: Great Britain 4-1 Japan
Satsuki Fujisawa with a draw for Japan to lie shot after facing a barrage of four GB yellows in the house.
Muirhead looking to limit the damage to only one shot.
She will look to follow that line to rest on the Japanese counter, but not the greatest of outcomes.
Fujisawa has a fairly easy task to take out the GB yellow to lie two.
Curling final 6th End: Great Britain 4-1 Japan
All of GB is right behind Team Muirhead as they continue their journey towards sporting immortality.
Curling final 6th End: Great Britain 4-1 Japan
We are off and running with the second half of this gold-medal match after a brief interlude.
Japan with the hammer in this sixth end.
GB lie two early in this sixth end, but they won't stay there at the business end of this end.
Curling final 5th End: Great Britain 4-1 Japan
Looks like GB are lying two with the skip stones to come.
Satsuki Fujisawa drops in a timely red stone to reduce the damage to one.
Muirhead determined not to give up more than one shot when Japan throw down their final stone.
Team GB back in for two to pepper the button.
Satsuki Fujisawa tries to put pace on her final stone, but she fails to take out the main British counter.
A steal for GB! They lead 4-1. Magnificent for Team Muirhead at the halfway stage.
Curling final 5th End: Great Britain 3-1 Japan
What would a steal be worth to GB now heading for the halfway stage of the final?
Japan with the hammer in the fifth.
Decent start to this end by GB led off by Hailey Duff. They lie two early on.
Japan remain full of smiles. Would never know they are behind in this final.
Curling final 4th End: Great Britain 3-1 Japan
Muirhead would like to draw a yellow around the Japanese guard for her two in the final action of the end.
Tough shot, doesn't curl enough and too much pace.
GB forced to accept the one shot. A 3-1 lead for GB after four ends.
Disappointing not to take two, but Team Muirhead are a step closer to the promised land.
Curling final 4th End: Great Britain 2-1 Japan
Feels like a rare period of calm in this final.
GB again holding shot on the bull's eye before Vicky Wright joins the party with her two stones.
The idea here is to get out of this end with a 4-1 lead.
Wright lays a yellow on top of the red to lie one and three with the hammer. Chinami Yoshida adds another red to that chain of stones.
Developing well for GB so far.
Team Muirhead getting firmly to grips with the pace of the ice.
Curling final 3rd End: Great Britain 2-1 Japan
Eve Muirhead with the final stone of the end.
No decision to be made here.
Clips the Japanese stone out of the house to blank the end.
GB will carry the hammer into the fourth.
Nice demolition work from Vicky Wright during that end.
This is all going according to script for GB. So far, so good.
Curling final 3rd End: Great Britain 2-1 Japan
The smiling Chinami Yoshida with a super little shot to clear out the GB yellows from the house.
Vicky Wright is going to repay the compliment by eliminating the two Japanese reds.
GB lying one again heading for the skip stones.
Quite frantic stuff, but what are the odds of GB blanking this end to carry the hammer?
Looks likely at the moment.
Curling final 3rd End: Great Britain 2-1 Japan
Nice early move from Japan sees them place a red on top of a yellow just inside the four foot.
GB seem to be controlling the narrative at this juncture, but as we know that can change quickly in curling.
Japan have a healthy crowd supporting them inside the Ice Cube.
Jennifer Dodds decides to get rid of a Japanese guard. Solid piece of elbow grease ensures that is smashed into the side rails.
GB still lying shot surrounded by two red stones.
Curling final 2nd End: Great Britain 2-1 Japan
GB still sitting on the button at the end of the second end.
This could be a glorious steal for Team Muirhead with one GB stone sitting right on the mark.
Satsuki Fujisawa will try to get rid of two GB stones holding shot with her final stone.
Well, she just rids herself of one GB stone to lie one. No attempt at the thin plant to blank the end.
Not the worst outcome for GB, who will happily give up one with the hammer back with them in the third.
Ideal start for Team Muirhead's hopefuls.
Curling final 2nd End: Great Britain 2-0 Japan
Early days here, but promising signs for GB, who already have one in the house in this second end.
Jennifer Dodds positions a nice guard inside the house with another yellow stone inside the four foot.
Japan are quite animated at the moment. Little wonder. Already key moments in this final.
Yumi Suzuki quickly takes the guard out with a nice shot. Down to the final four stones of the second end.
Curling final 1st End: Great Britain 2-0 Japan
Brilliant from GB right off the bat.
They take two with the hammer in the first end.
Nice spot of sweeping as that final yellow dislodges the red.
Right on the button and it is all smiles among the GB team as they move 2-0 clear after the first end.
Dream start to the final. Should also settle the nerves.
Curling final 1st End: Great Britain 0-0 Japan
We are down to the skip stones.
Japan lie two, but still chance for Eve to claim two for GB from this first end in what would be a flying start.
Excellent display from Muirhead as she rests on top of the Japanese stone inside the four foot.
Satsuki Fujisawa then just nudges one on the side of the GB yellow to lie one, but chance for Eve to nudge that stone clear for the two.
Curling final 1st End: Great Britain 0-0 Japan
Good to know that the brilliant GB Olympic silver medallists Bruce Mouat and Hammy McMillan are cheering on the girls tonight after that epic men's final with Sweden yesterday.
Curling final: GB have the hammer
Always nice to start with the honour of going second in the unforgiving sport of curling.
GB remarkably trailed 4-0 after the first end of their semi-final against Sweden on Friday.
They will be hoping to make a faster start in the final.
The sounds of the bagpipes welcome in the teams.
And we are off and running in this gold-medal match as Japan quickly plant their first red stone in the house with five stones of the first end remaining.
Muirhead's date with destiny
GB overcame Japan 10-4 in the round-robin stage, but that means little on this occasion.
Japan are marginal underdogs, but go into this final having upset world champions Switzerland 8-6 in their semi-final, after being beaten 8-4 by the same opponents in their final round-robin game
Muirhead is contesting her first Olympic gold-medal match having been to the semi-finals twice before since her first Olympic Games in 2010.
She earned a bronze in 2014 at the Sochi Games in Russia.
It was only the second time the GB women claimed a curling medal after the 2002 gold in Salt Lake.
There are guaranteed at least a silver medal after that epic 12-11 win over Sweden in the first extra end on Friday after agonisingly finishing fourth in Pyeongchang 2018.
Can Eve and her team achieve their lifelong dream tonight? Only one way to find out.
The teams
- Great Britain
- Eve Muirhead (skip)
- Vicky Wright
- Jennifer Dodds
- Hailey Duff
- Reserve Mili Smith
- Japan
- Satsuki Fujisawa (skip)
- Chinami Yoshida
- Yumi Suzuki
- Yurika Yoshida
- Reserve Kotomi Ishizaki
Team GB – results so far
- Great Britain 5-6 Switzerland
- Sweden 2-8 Great Britain
- Republic of Korea 9-7 Great Britain
- Great Britain 10-5 USA
- Denmark 2-7 Great Britain
- Great Britain 3-7 Canada
- Great Britain 10-4 Japan
- China 8-4 Great Britain
- ROC 4-9 Great Britain
- Semi-final: Sweden 11-12 Great Britain (after first extra end)
Where to watch
You can follow LIVE updates here and watch all the glorious action as it happens with us.
Good evening, morning or afternoon
Wherever you are in the world, this could be quite an epic few hours ahead for Great British sport as Eve Muirhead and her women's curling team bid for Olympic gold against Japan.
The girls will be on the ice at 1:05am GMT on the final day of action at Beijing 2022 as they bid to emulate Rhona Martin's 'stone of destiny' in Salt Lake 20 years ago.
Skip Martin, Fiona MacDonald, Margaret Morton, Janice Rankin and Debbie Knox became the first British Winter Games gold medallists that night since the iconic GB duo of Torvill and Dean danced to Bolero in Sarajevo in 1984.
The GB women's team enshrined their names in history with an epic 4-3 victory over Switzerland in the final in Utah that came down to the last stone as Martin knocked out the final Swiss counting stone for a remarkable Olympic triumph.
After the GB men's side agonisingly came up short in a 5-4 defeat to Sweden on the first extra end on Saturday, are we on the verge of another 'Stone of Destiny' moment for GB's women 20 years later?
Get the tea on, or something stronger, and settle down for a tense few hours in the Ice Cube.
Scene setter
Great Britain's medal duck at Beiijing 2022 finally came to an end on Saturday, but it was not to be for Bruce Mouat's rink in the men's curling, losing to a clinical Swedish quartet in an extra end. A silver does mean that Team GB are finally on the board - and now their female counterparts go for gold.
They required a significant slice of fortune to reach the semi-finals, but Eve Muirhead's rink have grown into this competition and held their nerve brilliantly to secure themselves a medal with victory over Sweden in the last four. Can they better the men's finish and stand atop the Olympic podium?
It is 20 years since Rhona Martin skipped Great Britain's women to victory in Salt Lake City. Muirhead and her team have every chance, though Satsuki Fujisawa's unit felled the dominant Swiss in the semi-finals and will step on to the ice with plenty of confidence.
The action all gets underway at 1.05am GMT. One final game of stones...
How to watch Team GB v Japan in women’s curling semi-final
- Team GB take on Japan from 1.05am GMT. Watch the semi-final on Eurosport 1 and on discovery+
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