Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Top Moment of the Day – 19 February: Sweden's Niklas Edin finally clinches curling gold
After five world titles and two Olympic medals at previous Games, Edin's foursome defeated Great Britain 5-4 in a tense final to complete their set of honours.
Curling
There is action every day at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 but we’ll select for you the best one at the end of the competitions, when Beijing is closing its doors. Today: Sweden’s men win curling gold on fourth attempt to complete medal set.
Olympic gold at last for Niklas Edin's Sweden rink after nailbiting finale
In his fourth Olympic Winter Games, Sweden’s Niklas Edin finally has his hands on an Olympic gold medal.
The five-time world champion, vice-skip and third Oskar Eriksson, lead Christoffer Sundgren and second Rasmus Wranaa came through the most tense of finals, needing an extra end to beat Great Britain 5-4.
Bruce Mouat’s British team, who were guaranteed their country's first medal of Beijing 2022, trailed 4-3 going into the 10th end but had the advantage of the last stone.
Sweden successfully snuffed out Team GB's attempts to manufacture the multiple-point score which would secure gold with Mouat having to draw for a single to level it up at 4-4.
With the hammer advantage in the 11th, Sweden barely gave Team Mouat a sniff. And when the Scottish skip's valiant attempt to leave GB lying one and avoid setting up an easy takeout for Edin failed, it was all over.
As his teammates let out roars of joy, Edin’s reaction was one of disbelief.
His eyebrows shot up before a smile crept across his face as he took a moment to acknowledge what his rink had just achieved.
Minutes later, he said, "It’s completely unbelievable. It’s an insane end to this tournament.
"It feels so crazy, I almost had to ask someone before I came here, 'We have won, right?'"
Edin, who was inspired to take up curling after watching Sweden take bronze at Nagano 1998, has had to deal with numerous injuries over the past decade.
He is on 10 operations and counting with more surgery required on his ankle after the Games
But having now won everything there is to win, he is not thinking about retirement just yet.
"I wouldn’t be sad to win more," Edin wryly replied when asked about Milano-Cortina 2026. “But there’s lots of time left. We will talk about this afterwards, how the rest of our careers will be.
“It’s been many nice years, a lot of success and to get this Olympic gold medal now is an extra tick in the career.
"I’m not sure we will realise what’s happened for a few more days, probably. Right now, we are just super happy, super proud, all kinds of emotions and feelings.”
For Edin's trusted lieutenant Eriksson, this gold in addition to his mixed doubles bronze in Beijing means he is the first curler in history to win four Olympic medals.
Edin and 30-year-old Eriksson, who started out as an alternate, have been together for all five world titles - including the last three in succession - and seven European crowns.
After fourth at Vancouver 2010, third at Sochi 2014, and second at PyeongChang 2018, the only thing missing was Olympic gold.
Until now.