To reach the semi‑finals after a heavy loss to China, Great Britain now needs to overcome host Italy in their last round‑robin mixed doubles curling match.
Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean began strongly against the unbeaten duo Wang Meng and Yang Jun, holding a lead at the midway point. Unconverted chances and a swift surge from the Chinese pair turned a 5‑3 advantage into a 10‑5 loss, leaving the eighth end unplayed.
Butterfield attributed the swing to China finding the correct draw weight – the force required to place a stone in or near the scoring house. “In the second half they nailed the draw weight, they were very strong and we had trouble,” she explained.
“I felt nervous during the match. It may have been the mental aspect of facing China. Being ahead perhaps made us doubt our ability. We need to discard that doubt and trust ourselves. If we treat the first four ends as if they were eight, we can win,” she said.
Kean noted that after leading at the halfway mark they opted for a more aggressive second half, yet they could not execute the difficult angles required to remove opponent stones from the house.
“In the first half we stayed simple and had the draw weight,” he said. “In the second half we tried to be more aggressive. When we saw them use the bump, we attempted to return it, but we weren’t quite precise enough.”
Mixed doubles made its debut at this year’s Paralympics. Kean and Butterfield are scheduled to meet Italy on Monday afternoon in the final of their seven round‑robin games.
Great Britain also fell in mixed team curling, losing 5‑4 to Canada, the 2022 bronze medalists. The quartet sit sixth on the standings after three of nine round‑robin matches, with the top four advancing to the semi‑finals.
Read next
Andreeva's French Open victory highlights the impact of Martínez and women coaches
Conchita Martínez was describing her player’s journey to a maiden grand-slam title when Mirra Andreeva interrupted. Accompanied by officials and a staff member holding the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen, the new French Open champion entered the room to cause mischief.
Andreeva asked, “What is the best thing about working with Mirra
Lewis Hamilton confident he is nearing first victory with Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton believes a victory for Ferrari is possible following his second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix. The seven-time champion is determined to pursue Kimi Antonelli, the current Formula One leader who secured another win in Monte Carlo.
Driving for Mercedes, Antonelli dominated the race, maintaining his lead through
Hodgkinson: Shock loss will fuel my pursuit of 800m world record this summer
In a dramatic event in Stockholm, Audrey Werro recorded the fastest 800m time seen since the Cold War era, defeating Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson. Werro finished in 1min 53.98sec, marking the third fastest time in history. She now trails only Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 1983 world record of 1:53.