Gangwon 2024: Great Britain rally back from behind to beat Denmark in extra end for mixed curling gold
Team GB clawed back from 4-1 in the second end to defeat Denmark and win their first-ever Youth Olympic Games curling gold.
Curling
Great Britain edged out Denmark in an extra end to clinch the mixed team curling gold medal at the 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympic Games on Thursday (25 January).
The British rink, comprised of Logan Carson, Tia Laurie, Archie Hyslop and Holly Burke, held their nerve to see out the Danes 7-5 in what was a compelling final under the lights at the Gangneung Curling Centre.
Trailing 4-1 after the second end following a statement four-point score from the Danes, the battle was immediately an uphill one for the Brits.
Though knocked back, they proved undeterred, as they responded with three back-to-back steals to bring the score back to level at the close of the fifth end. British skip Carson, in particular, was unerring as he continuously lured the Danes into error.
With the possibility of scoring one in the sixth, Denmark opted to blank the end in pursuit of a something bigger score. It was a decision that ultimately backfired when the Brits, on their train of steals, nicked yet another point to take the lead for the first time.
Having not scored in over six ends and needing at least two to win, the pressure was all on the Danes in the eighth end. But despite the demand, they were only able to score one, tying the game at 5-5 and forcing the match into an extra end.
In the ascendency, and with the hammer, the Team GB curlers finally seized full control of the game and when Danish skip Jacob Schmidt came up short with his last attempt to produce a shot rock, the final concluded with Britain the winners.
"It's absolutely amazing," Carson told Olympics.com afterwards describing the win.
"I couldn't be prouder of these three and our coach who has been absolutely amazing all week and I couldn't have done it without each and every one of them playing their role. And to come from behind is really special."
On the nature of their comeback, the 16-year-old praised the chemistry in the team: "It's just our team and our belief is always really strong. We trust that we can make shots at the crucial times and luckily we did that and got the win."
The curling at Gangwon 2024 will continue with the mixed doubles event beginning on Friday 26 January.
Gangwon 2024 - Curling: Mixed Team final standings
- Great Britain
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- People's Republic of China
- United States of America
- Japan
- Italy
- Sweden
- Norway
- Korea
- Canada
- Türkiye
- New Zealand
- Brazil
- Germany
- Nigeria
How to watch curling at Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games
Action from the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympics is available live, worldwide, and without subscription on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app.
Full replays and highlights of the mixed curling competition will be available, and you can catch highlights, reaction interview clips, news articles, and full results from the Republic of Korea across the website and official Olympics social media accounts.