Medals update: Canada wins bronze in Beijing 2022 men's curling shootout with the USA

The defending Olympic champions were beaten to the bronze medal in an intriguing match between the two North American sides, which ended 8-5 to Canada.

4 min
(L-R): Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker of Team Canada celebrate their bronze medal match victory against USA

(2022 Getty Images)

In a nip and tuck game that drew errors from both sides, it was Canada who came out on top in the North America men's curling encounter, winning 8-5 against the US side at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing on Friday (18 February).

With both sides disappointed not to make the gold-medal game that takes place on Saturday (19 February), raising their spirits for today's competition proved challenging.

The US had lost to Great Britain and Canada to Sweden in the semi-finals, but there was still an Olympic medal on the line, and, on winning bronze, the Canadian team's emotion spilled over with tears flowing from many of the team.

With curling the second-most-watched sport in Canada, behind ice hockey, the pressure was certainly on, especially against their iconic rivals.

By the halfway point, the fifth of ten ends, Canada were just shading it 4-3. In the next end, Canada missed a relatively easy double, opening the door for the US, under skip John Shuster to pick up two, going in front 5-4.

The seventh end saw no score, with a mistake-filled eighth end – by both sides – ending 6-5 to the Canadians with a two that should have been a three but for an easy miss from skip Brad Gushue.

The topsy turvy nature of the competition continued into the ninth end with both a poor shot from Canada's John Landsteiner before throwing an excellent last stone to put the Canadians 8-5 ahead, putting the pressure back on the US with just one end to go.

America's Christopher Plys played a poor shot with six stones to play and before long Canada were celebrating getting back on the podium after missing out at PyeongChang 2018, a great disappointment having won the previous three editions. Defending Olympic champions, the United States, replicated Canada's painful fourth-place finish of four years ago.

“It’s a tough game to play after coming off a loss last night and to come off on top against a good team – the reigning Olympic gold medalists – it was a tough battle," said Gushue post competition. "We were struggling a little bit at the start of the game but the last few ends we showed what we were capable of. I’m very proud of our team.

“Mark (Nichols) and I really tried to enjoy this experience, I think we have a unique viewpoint. There hasn’t been many athletes that has gone 16 years in between (Olympics) and to watch three Olympics and not be part of it, knowing how special it is and how privileged we are to have that opportunity, to get to do it 16 years later is just something we’ve tried to soak it all in and enjoy it as much as possible. And now to walk away with a medal, makes it even more special and we’re more appreciative than most people of where we are right now.”

Shuster, meanwhile, commenting on what stands out about his fifth Olympic Winter Games said: “All of it. The relationships that you build amongst other athletes here. If you are up in the press box, you saw all the hockey players that we have got to know. I recognised some voices from previous games.

“Katie Uhlaender (American skeleton racer) has made her way down from the Olympic Village up in the mountains twice. That was not an easy trip. She was at three of our last five games.

“She figured out how to get here because that is the kind of teammates we are for each other in Team USA. I think those relationships and camaraderie, and the friendships with all of those other athletes that we only get to see every four years, is some of my favourite stuff from the Olympics.”

More from