The women's tournament of Curling 2018 during the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 14-25 February 2018 in the Gangneung Curling Centre. With 10 teams competing, the event was won by the team from Sweden, with South Korea taking the silver medal and Japan taking bronze.
Format[]
The competition exists out of a single round-robin, each team playing another once, with standings based on win/loss-record. The top four ranked teams advance to the semifinals, with the winners advancing to the final. The winner of the final wins the event.
Preview[]
Ten teams qualified for the event, with a battle expected between Canada and Sweden. Since the sport's return at Nagano 1998, only Great Britain was able to best both teams when they won the gold medal at Salt Lake City 2002. Canada was also the reigning world champion, with Olympic Athletes from Russia winning a silver medal at the world championships in 2017, and Sweden and Scotland (representing Great Britain) reaching the semifinals. Great Britain, with the team that finished third at these world championships, as well as the previous Olympic Games, could be considered a strong medal contender for Pyeongchang 2018, playing with the same team for all these years. Other potential outsiders included Switzerland, China, South Korea, and the United States.
The Danish pair Julie Hogh and Mathilde Halse were the only curlers younger than 20 years old, though Jennie Wahlin and Jiang Xindi were not much older. On the other hand, Cheryl Bernard was over 30 years older than Hogh, and 13 years older than second-oldest Silvana Tirinzoni. Only fourteen out of fifty athletes had competed at an Olympic Games before, but with nine out of those fourteen winning medals at Vancouver 2010 or Sochi 2014, there were plenty of veteran players present. Only two curlers had competed before Vancouver - Denise Dupont and Kelly Schafer both represented their countries at Torino 2006. Agnes Knochenhauer (Sweden) was the current silver medalist, while most of the team of Great Britain (with the exception of Claire Hamilton being replaced by veteran Schafer) having earned a bronze medal previously. Current gold medalist Kaitlyn Lawes only participated at the mixed tournament and would not defend her title.
Summary[]
Round robin[]
Round 1[]
The first draw saw the Japanese team outperforming the American team and getting a head start in classifications, after taking a seven-point lead at the beginning. In another game, the British team made quick work of the Olympic Athletes from Russia, ending in a 10-3 result after only 7 ends. The Swedish team showed why they were the favorites for the gold medal in a very strong performance against Denmark, with Anna Hasselborg reaching a 92% success throw rate. In the final game, Switzerland and China faced off in a battle between two potential outsiders. Despite a somewhat stronger game, China was only able to make the difference in the eighth end.
Round 2[]
The second session had the first game of a gold medal contender in Canada against a strong home team. Despite reaching a higher shot success rate, with Lisa Weagle and Emma Miskew reaching 90%, the Korean team proved strong on decisive moments, winning the game. Elsewhere, Japan continued to perform, this time against Denmark, taking the lead in the tournament. Next up was yet another close game, between two teams poised to perform better than their first game, China and the Olympic Athletes from Russia. This made for an entertaining tug-of-war, only to be decided in an extra end in favor of the Olympic Athletes from Russia. In a fourth game, the United States surprised after their loss in the first session, this time winning against the Olympic veteran team of Great Britain.
Round 3[]
The third session was one to watch, as it had several games between potential medal contenders, such as China against Great Britain, both teams winning the first game while losing the second game. In a game without any breaks, the team of Great Britain consolidated their advantage in the first extra end to take the win. However, all eyes would be on the game between the big favorites Canada and Sweden. With both teams never more than two points from each apart, an extra end had to decide the winner. Sofia Mabergs helped the Swedish team retain their 100% win rate, while Canada had a bad start to the tournament, winless after two games. Esther Neuenschwander and Marlene Albrecht helped the Swiss team bounce back with shot success rates higher than 90% against the American team, and in the last game, the Japanese team continued to surprise with another win, this time against South Korea, a team that hadn't lost in the tournament either yet.
Round 4[]
The fourth round made sure that the playing field would get balanced again, in terms of played games. The game on the first sheet between Denmark and Canada meant that one of those teams would win their first game, and the Danish team took the opportunity at heart, taking the win after an extra end. Another exciting game was between South Korea, which surprised Canada in their first game, and Switzerland. In a game full of breaks, the Korean team was able to hold their end once, which was enough for the win. The third and final game of the session would have the Swedish favorites trying to catch up to Japan, which had won all three games so far. With the result halfway being only 1-1, the Swedish team needed an extra end to keep their faultless winning streak alive.
Round 5[]
For the third time in a row, the Swedish team of skip Anna Hasselborg had to deal with a close game, and for the third time it turned out in their favor. Switzerland was almost able to come back into the game, but eventually ended up just short. Another game between the Olympic Athletes from Russia and the United States was extremely close, with the same shot success rate of 81%, and the American team was able to get the win after an extra end. The game between Japan and China followed almost the same pattern, with China getting the upper hand in this tight game, ending Japan's winning streak. In the final game of the round, Denmark took on Great Britain, and the British team was able to keep their hopes alive on a medal.
Round 6[]
After four rounds with very close encounters, this was less the case in this session. The game between the Olympic Athletes from Russia (W1, L3) and Japan (W3, L1) started off pretty balanced, with a score of 4-4 after five ends. However, Japan turned up the pace, lead by Satsuki Fujisawa with a shot success rate of 92%. With five points in the next three ends, it allowed them to keep up with the Swedish team, which had some rest. Another close game between the Chinese and Danish teams, with a score of 6-6 after 7 ends. China was able to win 4 stones in both the first and ninth ends, running away with the victory. The third game of the session featured some of the predicted medal contenders in the Korean and the British team. Winning this game could re-establish the winning team in the top of the competition, and it was exciting throughout. The Korean team showed excellent teamwork with all four team members reaching a shot success rate between 80% and 90%, winning the game. In the last game of the session, Canada showed their quality by winning their first game of the tournament by having an 8-point difference after only 7 ends against the United States. The Canadian team members played exceptionally well, with Miskew reaching a shot success rate of 98%, closely followed by Rachel Homan (96%) and Joanne Courtney (93%).
Round 7[]
Despite having won all of their games, it looked like the Swedish team had some difficulties, having needed at least an extra end in two out of four games. In their fifth game, this was no different. In a very close game, Sara McManus took the team at hand against Great Britain, with a 98% shot success rate. In a game between Canada and Switzerland, either one could achieve their second win of the tournament. With a good performance, the Canadian team won for the second time in a row, bouncing back from a winless start. In the last battle, South Korea didn't let China anywhere close to the win, always being in front.
Round 8[]
The eighth round of the round robin saw the United States take on Denmark, two teams with lower expectations, but which were bound to perform well. In a very close game, the United States decided the result in the last end by bringing a single stone home. In the second game, Canada, which was on a winning streak, had to face off against Japan. The Canadian team had some real momentum, powering to an 8-3 win after only 7 ends, with Lisa Weagle having a faultless performance. The third game of the session was the game a lot of people looked forward to, the faultless team of Sweden against the home team of South Korea (W4, L1). With the help of the fans in the stadium, the Koreans were able to hold on to bring Sweden their first loss of the tournament. Elsewhere, two out of the three teams with only one win faced off against each other, with Switzerland obliterating the Olympic Athletes from Russia, with an 11-2 win after 7 ends.
Round 9[]
In the ninth round of the tournament, this was the round in which the first decisions would be made. One of the games in which this round could be a deciding factor would be between Switzerland (W2, L4) and Great Britain (W3, L3). The winner would join the fight for the positions for the semifinal, while the loser would have to win both remaining games in order to advance. In a very close game, the British team came back from behind in the last end to keep their hopes alive. With all teams having played six games, South Korea and Sweden were in pole position to advance to the semifinals. On the other hand, Denmark and the Olympic Athletes from Russia were grasping at their last straws to stay in the tournament, and the game between the two teams would come at the right moment for either one. The loser of the game would be eliminated, based on the win of Great Britain in the same session. Helped by Julia Guzieva, the Olympic Athletes from Russia was able to keep their slim lead until the end. The third game of the session between China and the United States was expected to be close, but Team USA took a big lead at the start, and the Chinese team was always playing an uphill battle. The last game of the session was between two teams in the upper regions of the standings: Sweden and Japan. Sweden had just lost their first game against the home team, while Japan had just been surprised by Canada. In a low-scoring and tight game, the Japanese team were able to get their win in the last end of the session.
Round 10[]
The tenth round of the tournament would determine some other teams that would be advancing or eliminated. All games could have consequences at either end of the table, starting with Canada against China. Canada, one of the favorites for the tournament, had underperformed and would like to take this game to continue their winning streak. If they would be able to win their fourth game in a row, the Chinese team would have little to no chance of advancing to the semifinals. However, the Chinese team once again proved strong on decisive moments, winning three stones in the fifth end, establishing their win. Another important game would be between table leader South Korea and the United States. The home team could already advance to the semifinals with a win, despite having two games to go. With a very strong fifth end, in which the Korean team stole four stones, the American team was not able to recover. Qualification with a win would also count for Japan, which could advance with a win against Great Britain. However, the British team performed well, winning an important game for a place in the semifinals. This win also meant that the Olympic Athletes from Russia and Switzerland, both of which had some rest this round, would be eliminated.
Round 11[]
With all three eliminated teams having yet to play two games, all of them would have one in the penultimate round. These games included a comfortable win of the already qualified South Korea against the yet eliminated Olympic Athletes from Russia, and a Swiss win against Denmark, both also already eliminated. However, the other two games of the session were a bit more important for the progression of the tournament. In the game between Sweden and China, the former could confirm their spot in the semifinals win a win, and the latter could keep their hopes alive, depending on results of other games. As the game progressed, the Chinese team wasn't able to get a foothold on the Swedes, allowing the favorite Swedish team to qualify for the semifinals. The game between Canada and Great Britain was thought to be more exciting. Canada, one of the big favorites at the start of the tournament, had a very slim chance to advance, and a loss against Great Britain didn't help either, with the British team now joining South Korea and Sweden in the semifinals.
Round 12[]
The last session would mainly concern positions for classification, as eight out of ten teams already knew if they would advance to the semifinals or not. The two teams which were not sure yet were Japan and the United States, with the former having a slight advantage. The United States would have to win, with Japan losing, to secure a place in the next round. The Japanese team was surprised by the eliminated Swiss team to give the latter team a good ending of the tournament, but the American team was not able to surprise Sweden. This caused the lineup for the semifinals to be South Korea, Sweden, Great Britain, and Japan. In the other two games, Canada won their last game against the Olympic Athletes from Russia, and the home team of South Korea only left the round-robin with a single loss, after yet another win, this time against Denmark.
Semifinals[]
South Korea vs Japan[]
The first semifinal was one between two Asian countries, with the somewhat surprising Japanese team challenging the home team of South Korea. In the first game between the two, the Japanese brought the only loss of the tournament onto the Korean team with 5 - 7, so the stakes were high. With the help of Kim Seon-yeong, the Korean team took a quick lead, and held this lead until the very last end. In this tenth end, the Japanese team came back to equalize, but the Korean team was able to win in an extra end with the last push, to the delight of the home spectators.
Sweden vs Great Britain[]
The second semifinal was between the finalists of the European Championships: Sweden and Great Britain. In the round-robin, the Swedish team prevailed, but only after requiring an additional end. However, the game was a bit more unbalanced this time around. Despite the start being quite close, with a 3 - 3 result after five ends, the Swedish team scored five stones in the next two ends, which was unanswered for by Great Britain.
| Semifinals
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Result
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Result
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 South Korea
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8EE
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7
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Japan
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| Sweden
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10
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5
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Great Britain
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Finals[]
Sweden vs South Korea[]
The final would be one that many home spectators would have hoped for. One of the big favorites in Sweden against the home team and fan favorite South Korea. Despite a win for the Korean team in the round-robin, the tables were turned in the final. The Korean home team did take a quick lead in the first end, but after Sweden overturned this with a 4 - 1 lead halfway, chances looked dim. Continuing the game, once the Swedish team took a lead of five points in the ninth end, it was clear that the Korean team would receive a silver medal for the first time ever in curling, with Sweden winning the event for the third time, a record in women's curling.
| Final
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Result
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Result
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| Sweden
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8
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3
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South Korea
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Japan vs Great Britain[]
The bronze medal game would be between Japan, one of two countries that had always competed in women's curling, despite never winning a medal, and Great Britain, the recipient of the bronze medal at the world championships. The pressure was high for a medal, and it became a very tactical game. The game was tight until the eighth end, with a score of only 3 - 3, after which Japan was the first to break the tie. Holding their own end in the tenth end would mean that the Japanese team would win a medal for the first time in women's curling, and the British team would leave empty-handed.
| Bronze medal match
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Result
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Result
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| Great Britain
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3
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5
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Japan
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Results[]
Sweden won its second gold medal in eight years, after winning silver in 2014. Agnes Knochenhauer was the only member of that team competing in Sochi, thus winning her second Olympic medal. South Korea won its first-ever medal in curling, after participating for the very first time, while Japan also won its first medal in the sport, after finishing close to the podium in recent editions. Great Britain, the team with many reigning silver medalists, finished fourth, while China, winning the bronze medal in 2010, barely missed qualification for the semifinals and finished fifth.
Japan
United States
Olympic Athletes from Russia
Great Britain
Denmark
Sweden
Switzerland
China
Canada
South Korea
