Olympic Curling

The Olympic Athletes from Russia earned the bronze medal in mixed doubles curling after an 8-4 victory over Norway Monday night (Tuesday morning in Pyeongchang, South Korea).

Anastasia Bryzgalova and Aleksandr Krushelnitckii are now technically the first-ever medal winners in mixed doubles with the new event being created for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The gold and silver medals will be decided in the upcoming match between Canada and Switzerland.

The Olympic Athletes from Russia were actually outscored by six rocks in nine matches this tournament, but they had a knack for coming through in key moments to help them earn the bronze.

OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDAL ALERT!🥉🙌 Huge congratulations to #OAR on winning the first Mixed Doubles Olympic medal! 🥌
▪️OAR 8 NOR 4#curling #pyeongchang2018 pic.twitter.com/QV3BB8TURp

— World Curling (@worldcurling) February 13, 2018

https://twitter.com/olympicchannel/status/963228068604186626

Bryzgalova and Krushelnitckii were especially efficient in this battle, earning an 81 percent success rate on their shots.

Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten weren't quite as effective, neither hitting better than 65 percent of their attempts. Skaslien especially struggled with the last rock, allowing the Russians to earn steals in the second and seventh ends.

The first mistake allowed OAR to go up 3-0, forcing Norway to play catch-up the rest of the match and requiring near perfect shots to get back into the competition. The second steal came after OAR's rock placement made it too difficult to create a successful draw:

OAR leading 7-4 over Norway in mixed doubles curling bronze medal match

Set your alarms for Tuesday at 6 a.m. ET to watch Canada's Lawes and Morris go for gold https://t.co/2rGVa3G0wI pic.twitter.com/d8LAosk1EI

— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 13, 2018

The Russians then sealed the match with a third steal in the eighth, as Norway was unable to come through with the three-point comeback.

Both teams did a good job turning the last rock into high point totals throughout the match, with the Russians scoring two points in the first and fourth end and Norway earning two in the third and fifth. This had been an issue for both squads throughout the tournament, but they were able to post high scores in this one.

However, consistency was the difference to decide the bronze medal.

The Olympic Athletes from Russia narrowly lost their semifinal match on a poor final shot, while Norway was forced to concede in the eighth end of their matchup with Canada. The teams began this match on even ground, but OAR was too good and earned a spot on the medal stand.

Canada and Switzerland will now compete for the gold medal in mixed doubles curling Tuesday (6:05 a.m. ET, 8:05 p.m. local). The men's and women's competitions will begin with the round-robin matches Wednesday in South Korea.

Canada will take on Switzerland in the final of the mixed doubles curling event after the latter finished strong to defeat the Olympic Athletes from Russia 7-5 in Monday's second semi-final. 

The Swiss team of Martin Rios and Jenny Perret defeated Russian counterparts Anastasia Bryzgalova and Aleksandr Krushelnitckii at the Gangneung Gymnasium with a late dash despite trailing 5-4 after six ends.

A well-timed push saw the Swiss pair win three points across the last two sets to survive a scare in the semi and set up a final meeting with Canada, who beat Norway 8-4 to book their place in the decider.

This is the first time mixed doubles have featured at a Winter Olympics, meaning one of Canada or Switzerland will have a grand opportunity to record a piece of Games history in Tuesday's showdown.

The Swiss won't mind that they had to leave it late to secure their spot in the final, although Canada may not be as forgiving as Monday's Russian opponents.

Here's an updated look at the overall medal table at the 2018 Winter Olympics:

Rios and Perret failed to score in the fifth and sixth ends, leaving the Russian athletes to take a 5-4 lead entering the final legs of the game, but their back-to-back scores at the death sealed a dramatic win.

The athletes from Russia had the opportunity to pull things back in their favour with the final stone of the game, and CBC showed just how close they came to knocking their Swiss foes out of the running:

OAR misses the button and can't complete the comeback in mixed doubles curling.

Switzerland will play Canada for gold Tuesday morning at 6:05 a.m. ET #PyeongChang2018https://t.co/TaVJED0ihf pic.twitter.com/feMpVKC7xP

— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 12, 2018

It was an up and down affair throughout, with the Russian athletes responding with two scores in the second end after Switzerland won the opener by the same margin, and it was the latter who led 4-2 at the halfway stage.

Curling writer Josh Potts commented on how this meeting between the two teams differed to their clash in the round-robin stage, although a late comeback from the Swiss ran as a common theme between the two:

Swiss are up 4-2 at the break. When these teams met in round robin play, OAR was up 7-2 at the midpoint. Switzerland then went on a 7-1 run to win 9-8. Lots of #Curling left in this semifinal. #PyeongChang2018

— Josh Potts (@Josh_Potts2) February 12, 2018

Canada weren't without their own share of wobbles in the semi-final win over Norway, where an 8-4 scoreline was perhaps flattering for a team that missed so many scoring opportunities.

The Canadian duo of Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris never trailed in their penultimate mixed doubles outing and put the finishing touches on their win with a three-score display in the final end.

Meanwhile, Norway and the Olympics Athletes from Russia will contest the bronze-medal match on Tuesday in the hopes they can still merit a podium-place finish.

Canada is heading to the first-ever Olympic gold-medal match in mixed doubles curling.

The sport made its Olympic debut in these 2018 Pyeongchang Games, and Canada will make up half the final after defeating Norway 8-4 in Sunday's semifinal matchup (Monday morning in South Korea). The Canadian team of Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris earned revenge on Norway after Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten beat them in round-robin play.

With that in mind, here is a look at all of Sunday's action, as well as a schedule for the remainder of the competition.

The schedule is per NBC Olympics and based on U.S. Eastern Time rather than local Pyeongchang time.

              

Mixed Doubles Semifinal: Canada 8, Norway 4

Skaslien and Nedregotten handled Canada with a three-point win in round-robin play, but Lawes and Morris had other ideas with the stakes elevated.

Canada wasted little time seizing momentum with two points in the first end before a back-and-forth thriller broke out.

Norway battled back with a point in the second and third ends to tie it before Canada tallied one in the fourth. The first monumental moment of the match came in the fifth end when Norway missed an opportunity on its final throw and hit a guard rock instead of the two Canadian ones sitting in the target area, leading to two points for Canada.

It appeared as if Norway would bounce back from the costly mistake with two points in the sixth, but Canada seized firm control with three points in the seventh with a clutch final throw from Lawes.

Canada now awaits the winner of the second semifinal between Switzerland and the Olympic Athletes from Russia. It earned wins over both in round-robin play, though, as the matchup with Norway highlighted, that doesn't guarantee future success.

             

Round-Robin Tiebreaker: Norway 9, China 7

Norway had to earn the right to play Canada in the semifinals with a round-robin tiebreaking showdown against Rui Wang and Dexin Ba of China.

Norway lost to the Olympic Athletes from Russia, the United States and China in previous round-robin competition, while China lost to Switzerland, Canada and the Russians in previous competition, setting up the tiebreaker between the two three-loss teams.

While China handled Norway with a commanding 9-3 win in their first round-robin matchup, Skaslien and Nedregotten turned things around Sunday.

China seized early control with two points in the first end and appeared to be on the way to another win over Norway, but the Norwegians responded quickly with three points in the second end.

The match was still hanging in the balance entering the final three ends with China grasping to a one-point lead, but Norway tallied four points in the sixth and never looked back, clinching its spot in the semifinals.

           

Remaining Schedule

Semifinal No. 2: Olympic Athletes from Russia vs. Switzerland, Monday at 6:05 a.m. ET

Bronze Medal Match: Norway vs. TBD, Monday at 7:05 p.m. ET

Gold Medal Match: Canada vs. TBD, Tuesday at 6:05 a.m. ET

Mixed doubles curling at the 2018 Winter Olympics is down to just five teams with the round robin concluding Saturday night in the U.S. (Sunday morning in Pyeongchang, South Korea).

Canada earned a 7-3 win over South Korea in the seventh session to go 6-1 for the tournament, good enough for the top seed in the semifinals. Switzerland (5-2) and the Olympic Athletes from Russia (4-3) also earned spots in the playoff round after four days of action at Gangneung Curling Centre.

However, Norway and China will need to battle Sunday in a tiebreaker for the final spot.

The remaining four squads will then try to earn the first-ever Olympic gold medals in mixed doubles curling.

            

Final Round-Robin Standings

1. Canada (6-1)

2. Switzerland (5-2)

3. Olympic Athletes from Russia (4-3)

4. China (4-3)

4. Norway (4-3)

6. South Korea (2-5)

7. United States (2-5)

8. Finland (1-6)

Full results courtesy of Olympic.org.

            

Session 7 Results

China 9, Norway 3

China needed to win to stay alive, and it did just that with a big victory over Norway.

The duo of Dexin Ba and Rui Wang trailed 2-1 through three ends, but they came through with some huge scores with the last rock. China scored three in the fourth and then five in the sixth end, going up 9-3 and forcing Norway to concede.

Norway would have been in the semifinals with a victory, but the team struggled with some of the worst accuracy we have seen all tournament. Kristin Skaslien shot just 58 percent, with Magnus Nedregotten only slightly better while hitting 63 percent, and the missed shots cost them dearly.

With Russia earning the tiebreaker over both teams, China and Norway will now need to battle again in the tiebreaker for the final spot in the semifinals.

            

Finland 7, United States 5

This was the only match in this session that didn't have playoff implications, as both teams entered with losing records.

Fortunately for Finland, it was a chance to end the week on a high note after earning its first win over the United States.

This battle arguably came down to one end, with Finland grabbing four points in the seventh. The American duo of Matt and Becca Hamilton hadn't been able to produce these types of numbers all tournament, but it helped the underdogs pull away in this one.

Although the United States won its first match against a quality Russian contingent, the team won only one of its last six competitions on its way to a disappointing finish in South Korea.

            

Switzerland 9, Olympic Athletes of Russia 8

The Olympic Athletes of Russia had qualified for the playoff round before this match began by virtue of their wins over Norway and China, but this was an important battle for seeding.

Because of Switzerland's win, however, these teams will now just compete once again as the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the semifinals.

Russia had the advantage early on up 7-2, but the Swiss grabbed a two-point steal in the sixth end to turn things around. Down two in the eighth, Jenny Perret and Martin Rios stepped up with a three-point frame to earn the 9-8 victory.

The squad has been clutch in the last few ends all tournament long, and that continued with the victory Saturday.

            

Canada 7, South Korea 3

A win was enough to clinch first place in the tournament for Canada, and the favorites came through with ease, as Devin Heroux of CBC noted:

CLINCHED!

Canada’s @LKLawes and @johnnymocurler defeat Korea to clinch first place in Mixed Doubles curling.

That’s six wins in a row to finish the round robin. #cbccurl pic.twitter.com/NrTFDwvbEt

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 11, 2018

The Canadians were in control throughout the match, stealing points without the last rock twice to build a nearly insurmountable lead.

After Canada was up 7-3 heading into the eighth end, South Korea tried to give its home fans one more thing to cheer for but conceded after falling behind.

John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes got off to a slow start in this tournament but are clearly the favorites to bring home gold going into the playoff round.

Canada's Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris kept up their excellent recent form in the mixed doubles curling at the 2018 Winter Olympics on Saturday, extending their winning run to five.

They earned a 7-2 win over Switzerland's pair of Jenny Perret and Martin Rios before an even bigger 8-2 victory over the Russian duo of Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitskiy.

Canada are through to the playoffs after these wins, taking their overall record to 5-1, while Bryzgalova and Krushelnitskiy are also already through despite their loss.

Norway and Switzerland—who have each won four of their six matches—find themselves in pole position to progress with just one round of matches to play.

Here are the results from Saturday's round-robin competition.

        

Mixed Doubles Curling Results and Schedule

Draw 5

China 6-4 United States

Norway 7-6 Finland

Canada 7-2 Switzerland

South Korea 5-6 OAR

      

Draw 6

OAR 2-8 Canada

Switzerland 6-4 South Korea

Norway 3-10 United States

Finland 5-10 China

        

For the curling results in full, visit the competition's official website.

   

Saturday Recap

In Draw 5, the meeting between Canada and Switzerland, the two teams many expect to be competing for gold, was one plenty of curling aficionados were focused on. The former side stamped its authority on the contest.

After the Swiss took an early lead in the opening end, Canada came roaring back, taking four points at the next attempt. From there, they were always in control and saw out a comfortable win.

CBS's Devin Heroux reflected on the performance from Lawes and Morris:

For the record — Lawes and Morris are seriously dialled in right now.

Five wins in a row. And they haven’t really been close.

One last round robin game vs Korea and then playoff time. #cbccurl

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 10, 2018

Elsewhere, there was some drama to enjoy, as an extra end was needed to separate Norway and Finland. As Josh Potts noted, eventually the former secured a thrilling and important win:

Wow! Norway won, but it was by the slimmest of margins. Their red stone was maybe 1 inch closer to the pin than Finland’s yellow stone. Norway joins Canada and OAR at 4-1 atop the leaderboard. Finland drops to 0-5. #curling

— Josh Potts (@Josh_Potts2) February 10, 2018

Indeed, it left three teams—Canada, Norway and OAR—with four wins and one loss from their five matches. The showdown between OAR and Canada later in the day was also set up to be a thriller.

In it, the Canadian duo continued their excellent form from earlier in the day and started off with a first-end three; the Curling Canada account was delighted watching on from afar:

What a nice way for Canadians to wake up! A first-end three on the board for @LKLawes and @johnnymocurler against OAR! Sweeeeeeet! #curling #Pyeongchang2018 #gocanadago

— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) February 10, 2018

That impressive start set the tempo for the remainder of the match, allowing the Canadian twosome the chance to relax as they closed the win out. It was their fifth triumph in succession and enough to put them into the knockout bracket.

The OAR pair are also just two wins from gold, as results elsewhere mean they will be in the semi-finals.

Journalist Ted Wyman broke down what other teams remain in contention for a medal:

Canada (5-1) has clinched a playoff spot in mixed doubles #curling, while Russia and Norway (4-2) have clinched at least a tiebreaker. Switzerland likely to join them at 4-2. China (3-3) only team with chance to force tiebreaker on Sunday. #Olympics #Pyeongchang2018

— Ted Wyman (@Ted_Wyman) February 10, 2018

On Sunday, Canada have a great chance to keep confidence up when they take on a struggling South Korea duo. The most important tussle of the final round-robin matches will see Norway meet China, with the latter needing a victory to keep their hopes alive. 

After getting an early start Thursday, curling's mixed doubles round robin continued at the 2018 Winter Olympics on Friday. 

Canada, Switzerland, Norway and the Olympic Athletes from Russia came into the second day with matching 3-1 records. Finland was the only winless team (0-4) and had the daunting task of challenging Norway to get off the schneid. 

The top four teams in the standings at the end of the round-robin games advance to the semifinals on Monday. 

      

Saturday Schedule (All Games Start at 6:05 AM ET)

Olympic Athletes from Russia (4-1) vs. Canada (4-1)

Norway (4-1) vs. United States (1-4)

Switzerland (3-2) vs. South Korea (2-3)

Finland (0-5) vs. China (2-3)

      

Friday Results

Norway 7, Finland 6

By the slimmest of margins, Norway stole a 7-6 overtime victory over Finland.

Norway had a stone approximately one inch closer to the pin than Finland, just enough to earn its fourth win and keep pace with Canada and the Olympic Athletes from Russia atop the round-robin standings. 

Trailing 6-5 and down to its final shot, Finland was able to force overtime when Oona Kauste's rock stuck just within the white line on the target for a single point. 

With two rocks on the red zone of the target to start the ninth end, Finland was in prime position to get a much-needed win. Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien responded at the last moment, snatching victory from the icy clutches of defeat. 

      

China 6, United States 4

The United States continues its struggles in this event, falling to 1-4 after a two-point loss against the Chinese duo of Rui Wang and Dexin Ba. 

Team USA appeared to be in good shape with a 3-1 advantage after three ends. China slowly chipped away at that deficit, adding single points in each of the next three ends to secure its first lead of the game. 

After the U.S. was able to tie things up with its one point in the seventh end, China was able to go back on top with two points in the final end to avoid sudden-death overtime. 

Dexin was the hero on China's side with 14 takeouts, leaving Becca and Matt Hamilton in search of lost points that they were unable to get back. 

      

Olympic Athletes From Russia 6, South Korea 5

After losing its first game against the United States, the Olympic Athletes from Russia have responded with four straight wins. 

Its latest triumph was a tense 6-5 overtime victory against South Korea. Anastasia Bryzgalova and Aleksandr Krushelnitskiy used a methodical approach with single points in four of the five ends they scored, including one in the decisive extra end. 

South Korea put forth a strong showing with plenty of late drama, putting two stones close to the center of the target in the eighth end to force overtime. 

The Olympic Athletes from Russia's defense was tremendous in the win. Krushelnitskiy was a perfect 5-of-5 in takeouts, including knocking three South Korean stones out of the target zone in overtime that led to the deciding point. 

      

Canada 7, Switzerland 2

Canada had no problem getting past Switzerland in a matchup between two teams that entered Friday with identical 3-1 records. 

After coming out of the first end trailing by one, the Canadians took a 4-1 lead in the second end and would finish the game without allowing a Switzerland score in the final five ends. 

John Morris, who won an individual gold medal at the 2010 Olympics, was particularly adept at keeping Switzerland off the board with six takeouts.

Despite a difficult defeat for Switzerland, the duo of Jenny Perret and Martin Rios will have an opportunity to bounce back on Saturday against South Korea. Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes will get their first crack at the Olympic Athletes from Russia as they look to move their record to 5-1 tomorrow.

Friday's Olympic schedule is all about the pageantry of the opening ceremony, which will take place early in the morning in the Eastern time zone.

As Americans gear up to watch the replay of the opening ceremony in primetime, a few competitions will take place, including the first snowboarding event of the Olympics.

While Friday doesn't have the normal packed schedule because of the opening ceremony, there's still a set of curling matches and a chance for American snowboarders to defend a medal that a compatriot won four years ago.

         

Friday Olympic Schedule

All events can be live-streamed on NBCOlympics.com.

Opening ceremony (6 a.m. ET; TV coverage in prime time at 8 p.m. ET on NBC)

Curling mixed doubles round robin (7:05 p.m. ET)

Men's snowboard slopestyle qualifying (8 p.m. ET)

        

Odds

Curling Mixed Doubles (via OddsShark)

Canada (+110, bet $100 to win $110)

Switzerland (+350)

China (+350)

United States (+800)

Norway (+1,000)

South Korea (+2,000)

Finland (+2,500)

             

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle (via Oddschecker)

Marcus Kleveland (9-2)

Any Other (7-1)

Redmond Gerard (7-1)

Mark McMorris (15-2)

Max Parrot (15-2)

           

Predictions

Curling Mixed Doubles

Switzerland 6, Canada 5

Norway 8, Finland 4

Olympic Athletes of Russia 7, South Korea 4

China 6, United States 5

The marquee matchup of Friday's mixed doubles curling action pits undefeated Switzerland against Canada.

The Swiss are one of four 3-1 teams in the young tournament Thursday after dropping their first match on Thursday to Norway.

After suffering a shock defeat to Norway to open pool play, Canada has bounced back to win three in a row to set up a top-of-the-table clash with Switzerland.

Friday will be a big day for the teams in the middle of the standings. Norway, Olympic Athletes of Russia, South Korea, China and the United States are all looking to create separation between themselves, while Finland is still in search of its first victory.

           

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Qualifying

1. Marcus Kleveland (Norway)

2. Mark McMorris (Canada)

3. Max Parrot (Canada)

Norwegian phenom Marcus Kleveland has a chance to make a statement early in Friday's men's slopestyle qualifying, as he's set to compete in Heat 1 of qualifying.

Canadian medal contenders Mark McMorris and Max Parrot have to wait until Heat 2 to take on the course, per CBC play-by-play broadcaster Rob Snoek.

Friday's qualifying heats will set the field for Saturday's final, with Kleveland, the two Canadians and 17-year-old American Redmond Gerard all expected to be in the mix for the medals.

Gerard is trying to become the second American to win slopestyle after Sage Kotsenburg captured gold in 2014 in the event's first appearance at the Olympics.

Don't be surprised if you see an unlikely name jump into the top three scores on Friday since some riders will be doing enough to advance while they save their most technical moves for Saturday's final.

     

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

All information obtained from NBCOlympics.com unless otherwise noted.

The Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang hasn't even happened, but the curling action has started.

The round-robin portion of the mixed-doubles event continued Thursday, including a showdown between the United States and Switzerland.

This year marks the Olympic debut for mixed-doubles curling, which is faster-paced than curling fans are accustomed to watching every four years. Rather than playing 10 ends a match and throwing eight stones per team per end, the mixed-doubles event features eight ends in a match with five stones per team per end.

Here is a look at Thursday's results—which will be updated as matches end—and a Friday schedule for the new Olympic event. The schedule is per NBC Olympics and based on Eastern Time rather than local Pyeongchang time.

             

Thursday Results

Canada 10, China 4

The Canadian team of Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris is a gold-medal threat, and the tandem looked the part from the early going against China.

Canada seized three quick points in the first end and then added four more in the third after temporarily allowing China back within striking distance with two points in the second. The sides exchanged points throughout the middle portion of the match, but the outcome was essentially decided through the first three ends.

For good measure, Canada put the finishing touches on the decisive win with two points in the seventh end, nullifying the need for an eighth.

              

Norway 8, Korea 3

Like Canada, Norway's team of Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten left little doubt in a matchup with Korea.

Norway started off on fire, scoring a point in the first end, three points in the second end and another point in the third end before putting it on cruise control.

Korea made the final score somewhat closer than it felt with two points in the sixth end, but Norway had none of it and answered with two points in the seventh.

             

Switzerland 9, United States 4

The Thursday evening set of matches was not without drama thanks to the matchup between the United States and Switzerland despite what appeared to be a lopsided final score.

The American team of Becca and Matt Hamilton entered the final end with a 5-4 lead but watched Jenny Perret and Martin Rios put up a critical six points with the match hanging in the balance.

Switzerland knocked the United States' closest rock out of the target with the final throw, clinching the win and turning the deficit into a commanding win in a blink.

           

Olympic Athletes from Russia 7, Finland 5

It didn't appear as if the Olympic Athletes from Russia team of Anastasia Bryzgalova and Aleksandr Krushelnitskiy would come away with a victory against Finland until the third end.

Facing a 3-0 hole, the OAR team put up four points in the third and never fell behind again. Finland tied it with a point in the fourth, but a point in the fifth and two points in the sixth was enough for Bryzgalova and Krushelnitzky to battle back from the early deficit for the win.

          

Canada 8, Finland 2

Canada vs. Finland was a relatively even affair through five ends, with Canada's Lawes and Morris holding a 3-2 lead. But Canada wrapped things up in the sixth end, notching four points on the throw to put away the Finns.

It was the second straight match for Oona Kauste and Tomi Rantamaeki that started fine before taking a rough turn late, though the dangerous Canadians never looked in danger of losing the match, either.

Canada remained undefeated through four matches, while Finland is still seeking its first win.

                    

Republic of Korea 9, United States 1

A tough day for the Hamiltons continued against the Republic of Korea, as the young team of Hyeji Jang and Lee Kijeong were dominant.

The United States was in the hole immediately, as Korea notched two points in the first end. The U.S. responded with a point of its own, but Korea snagged another two points in the third and stole three points in the fourth before adding a point in the fifth and sixth before the U.S. called it quits.

The Hamiltons are now just 1-3 in the round-robin tournament and hanging toward the bottom of the standings, while Korea is 2-2.

            

Norway 6, Switzerland 5  

Norway started strong and was clutch late, earning a tight 6-5 win over Switzerland. 

The Norwegian pair of Skaslien and Nedregotten scored three points in the second end and one in the third to take an early 4-1 lead, though Switzerland fought back, posting two in the fourth and another in the fifth to pull even. The teams then exchanged alternating points in the next three rounds, with Norway earning the decisive points in the sixth and eighth to earn the win.

The result moved both teams to 3-1.

           

Olympic Athletes from Russia 6, China 5

It took nine ends, but the Russians earned a 6-5 win over China in a fascinating back-and-forth battle.

The Russians earned a point in each of the first three ends, but China surged back with a three-score fourth. Russia then responded with a point in each of the next two ends, but China matched it again with a point of its own in consecutive ends. That forced a ninth end, and the Russians capitalized, notching the match's final point, securing their third win in the process, while China dropped to 1-3.

          

Friday Schedule (All Round-Robin Matches)

Norway vs. Finland, 7:05 p.m. ET

China vs. United States, 7:05 p.m. ET

Korea vs. Olympic Athletes from Russia, 7:05 p.m. ET

Canada vs. Switzerland, 7:05 p.m. ET

The World Men’s Curling Championship is an annual tournament that has been taking place since 1959. The 2014 edition will be running throughout the week, with teams from 12 nations all hoping to claim the prestigious championship trophy.

This year’s event will be taking place in the Far East, as stars from around the globe converge on Beijing, China to test their mettle and attempt to bring gold and glory back to their home nation. It is the first time in history that the championships will be contested in an Asian nation, making this a special occasion for the sport.

Whether you are a casual fan that enjoyed watching the discipline at the Olympics or a hardcore curling fanatic, you won’t want to miss a single minute of this thrilling event.

Keep reading and come back often for a complete look at the schedule, updated scores and daily recaps of all the action during the 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship.

When: March 29 through April 6

Where: Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China

Watch: Universal Sports Network (USA), TSN (CAN), Eurosport and EuroSport 2 (EUR)

Live Stream: World Curling TV

Live Scores: CurlIT Website

 

Complete Schedule

Date	Time (local)	Draw	Sheet A	Sheet B	Sheet C	Sheet D
March 29	2 p.m.	1	SUI v RUS	USA v CZE	GER v CHN	SCO v SWE
	7 p.m.	2	DEN v CAN	RUS v GER	SWE v USA	NOR v JPN
March 30	9 a.m.	3		CHN v SCO	SUI v CZE
	2 p.m.	4	SWE v GER	JPN v CAN	DEN v NOR	USA v RUS
	7 p.m.	5	CZE v NOR	DEN v SUI	JPN v SCO	CHN v CAN
March 31	9 a.m.	6	USA v JPN	NOR v SWE	CAN v RUS	DEN v GER
	2 p.m.	7	RUS v SWE	CZE v CHN	USA v GER	SUI v SCO
	7 p.m.	8	NOR v CHN	SUI v JPN	SCO v DEN	CAN v CZE
April 1	9 a.m.	9	GER v SUI	USA v SCO	CZE v SWE	RUS v CHN
	2 p.m.	10	CAN v USA	SWE v DEN	RUS v JPN	GER v NOR
	7 p.m.	11	CZE v SCO	CAN v NOR	CHN v SUI	JPN v DEN
April 2	9 a.m.	12	CHN v DEN	JPN v CZE	NOR v SCO	CAN v SUI
	2 p.m.	13	SUI v SWE	SCO v RUS	GER v CZE	CHN v USA
	7 p.m.	14	JPN v GER	DEN v USA	SWE v CAN	NOR v RUS
April 3	9 a.m.	15	USA v NOR	GER v CAN	DEN v RUS	SWE v JPN
	2 p.m.	16	SCO v CAN	NOR v SUI	JPN v CHN	CZE v DEN
	7 p.m.	17	RUS v CZE	CHN v SWE	SUI v USA	SCO v GER
April 4	9 a.m.	Tiebreaker
	2 p.m.	Tiebreaker
	7 p.m.	Play-Offs 1v2*
April 5	1 p.m.	Play-Offs 3v4*
	4 p.m.	Semi Final
April 6	10 a.m.	Bronze Medal Game
	3 p.m.	Gold Medal Game

Day 9 Recap

Norway took home the title after a dominant final in Bejing on Sunday.

"Dominant" may be too kind, as the Norwegians jumped out to a 5-0 lead after four ends. Here's a look at the final standings:

Rank	Team	Games	Wins	Losses
1	Norway - Gold Medal	13	12	1
2	Sweden - Silver Medal	15	10	5
3	Switzerland - Bronze Medal	13	8	5
4	Canada	14	8	6
4	Japan	12	7	5
6	China	11	6	5
7	Czech Republic	11	6	5
8	Germany	11	5	6
9	Scotland	11	3	8
10	United States of America	11	3	8
11	Russia	11	2	9
12	Denmark	11	2	9

Captain Thomas Ulsrud and Co. were simply unstoppable through the first four ends, with the third being decisive as Norway was able to steal two points after a misfire by Sweden skip Oskar Eriksson.

Sweden rallied in the seventh end with two points, but Ulsrud quickly responded with two for Sweden to put the game out of reach. Ulsrud said afterward that experience was the reason for the outcome, per curlingevents.com:

"We've been training so hard for this for so many years, for so many Worlds. I've been close a couple of times but to be called world champion, that sounds amazing.  We've been in a lot of championship finals and we've been here before, so experience made the difference I think."

As for the other matchup, the disappointment continued for Canada and Kevin Koe as they were forced to settle for fourth place after falling 7-5 to Switzerland in the bronze-medal game.

Switzerland left the door open for a Canadian comeback by scoring one point each in the first two ends, followed by deuce in the sixth and ninth ends. Koe and Co. came into the 10th end down three but only scored one point.

Day 8 Recap

Day 8 of the 2014 World Curling Championships were immensely exciting, as a number of play-off games were held and the matchup for the title has been determined.

Here is a look at the latest standings going into the final day in Beijing:

Canada, one of the favorites coming into the tournament, faltered against Norway and Sweden and will now have to settle with contending for a bronze medal come Sunday.

The Norwegians are red hot and advanced to the gold medal round after a 3-2 victory against Canada in the Page 1vs.2 play-off. Skipper Thomas Ulsrud will face the Swedes after they sent Canada spiraling into the bronze game.

Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson continued his incredible run with a 10-8 victory over Canadian skipper Kevin Koe and his team. Koe expressed his disappointment to The Canadian Press after the game:

It was a bad day. We played pretty decent for the most part, I thought we were throwing them good. But big misses at the wrong time, and those will obviously kill you in the big games.

Make sure you tune in on Sunday to catch the thrilling conclusion of the 2014 World Curling Championships, with Sweden and Norway clashing for the gold and Canada looking to rebound with a bronze against Switzerland.

Day 7 Recap

Day 7 of the 2014 World Curling Championships was a relatively quiet one, with only two games being played on the day. Sweden first beat Japan to advance out of the tie-breaker and into to the play-offs and then navigated past Switzerland to land in the semifinals.

Here is a look at the latest standings:

Skipper Oskar Erikkson was the catalyst for these victories, as he was poised during a gritty 8-7 win against the Japanese and parlayed that momentum into a sound, 5-2 win against the Swiss.

Erikkson was understandably excited after the action, according to Sportsbeat (via Yahoo!): "It feels awesome to be in the semi-final," said Erikkson.

Hopefully we can win two more games. It would mean everything to us, to win a World Championship. It's almost the biggest thing you can win in the sport, it would be really awesome. But I’ve got big shoes to fill.

Switzerland will face off against the loser of Norway and Canada on Saturday.

Day 6 Recap

Wednesday was an important day at the 2014 World Curling Championships, as Canada clinched a playoff spot and a number of other seedings were determined.

Take a look at the latest leaderboard after Day 6 to see the final standings before the playoffs begin on Friday:

Skipper Kevin Koe’s Canadian squad will be advancing to the postseason after an 11-5 victory against Germany and a 7-5 win against Scotland. The North American powerhouse finished round robin play with an 8-3 record, the second-best mark of the event.

Koe explained his team’s thought process going into the final day before the playoffs began, as per The Canadian Press:

We woke up today just worried about making sure that we made the playoffs. We lose that game and we could be in a tiebreaker or something. The big thing was just to win and get in the playoffs and if we were in the 3-4 game, that was fine with us. We’ve done it before.

But to get in the 1-2 game with an extra life, that’s a bonus for sure.

With Japan losing 6-4 to China in the late draw, it assured that Canada would be going up against Thomas Ulsrud and Norway in the 1 vs. 2 Page playoff match.

Despite having first-placed locked up, the Norwegians won both games on Thursday and finished round robin play with a tournament best 10-1 record.

The winner of Canada vs. Norway advances directly into the final, while the loser will take on the winner of the 3 vs. 4 Page Playoff game in the semifinals. There definitely appears to be an interesting and exciting finish to the World Curling Championships on the horizon.

 

Day 5 Recap

The second to last day of preliminary action at the 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship from Beijing, China lived up to the excitement set by the four previous days, but Team Norway continued their dominance.

The morning session saw China beat Denmark 6-4, Japan beat the Czech Republic 7-5, Norway beat Scotland 6-4 and Canada beat Switzerland 8-4. Each game was intense and the Session 12 started the day off on the right foot.

Session 13 featured more wide-open action. Switzerland beat Sweden 8-6, Scotland beat Russia 7-5, the Czech Republic beat Germany 8-4 and China beat Team USA 8-4. The disappointment continues for the United States.

The final group of matchups for Wednesday featured Japan holding off Germany for a thrilling 8-7 victory, Team USA avenging the loss to china by beating Denmark 6-5, Sweden beating Canada 6-2 and Norway dominating Russia 11-2.

With one more day before the playoffs begin, the hunt for better position in the standings will make Day 6 must-watch action.

Day 4 Recap

Tuesday's action was highlighted by a battle between the two teams atop the standings, Norway and Canada, with the Norwegians coming out on top, 9-5. The win left Norway alone in first place, while Canada fell into a three-way tie in second with Japan and Switzerland.

It was a huge win for Norway, especially in a day when they lost their first matchup of the tournament, losing to Germany, 7-6.

For Canada—which has won three of the last four World Curling Championships—the loss to Norway was disappointing, but this tournament is far from over, as Kevin Koe told The Canadian Press (via CBC Sports):

I would have liked to be a little better, but the way we were playing earlier in the week, that's not a bad spot because we were struggling. We have some tough games coming up, but if we can keep throwing it well, I think we'll get better results.

Some of the missed shots weren't the result of the throws—it was more the line calling. We just have to pick that up a little better.

The Canadians never recovered from Norway's strong start, pulling to within one but never able to get over the hump.

The big winners on the day were Switzerland, knocking off both Germany and China, Japan, beating Russia and Denmark and the Czech Republic besting Sweden and Scotland. Now, all eyes turn to the battle for second place, while countries like Germany and Sweden will see if they can worm their way further up the standings.

Day 3 Recap

The 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship from Beijing, China saw more intense action on Day 3 than any other day in the tournament thus far.

With three packed sessions, curling fans were treated to 12 exciting games.

Session 6 was the morning group of Games. It featured Japan beating Team USA 9-5, Norway beating Sweden 6-3, Canada destroying Russia 9-1 and Denmark beating Germany 9-4. It was a great way to start another day of action.

With the event growing with each passing segment, Session 7 featured the best action of the day. Sweden beat Russia in a tight 7-6 matchup, China held off the Czech Republic 6-5, Scotland squeezed out a win over Switzerland 10-9 and the United States trounced Germany 8-3.

There was no way Session 8 was going to live up to the performances in the prior segment, but the eighth segment was still genuinely entertaining. Norway beat China 5-3, Switzerland beat Japan 8-3, Denmark held off Scotland 7-6 and Canada beat the Czech Republic 10-6.

Norway remains the only undefeated team left on the standings. Team Canada has launched its way into the No. 2 spot and Germany, Japan and Switzerland are tied for third. Team USA is in seventh place.

Day 2 Recap

After an action-packed Day 2 of the 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship, the excitement surrounding this annual event is through the roof.

Session 3 kicked off with Team China beating Scotland 11-8 and was followed up with Switzerland dominating the Czech Republic 9-4.

While the first two games were exciting, the real action picked up in Session 4. Germany beat Switzerland 7-5, Japan beat Canada 9-6, Norway beat Denmark 8-3 and Team USA beat Russia 6-5.

This was the best set of games during Day 2.

The excitement continued in the fifth session, as Norway beat the Czech Republic 9-5, Switzerland beat Denmark 6-5, Japan beat Scotland 9-4 and Canada beat China 9-6 to end the action on Sunday.

Both Germany and Norway sit atop the standings with three victories apiece, but the tournament is still wide open as four teams have two victories as well. Team USA is tied for seventh.

Day 1 Recap

The 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship started off with plenty of great matches.

Pete Chorba posted a photo of the rinks and you can see the lack of attendance in the stands:

German and Sweden each picked up two wins apiece, while Canada, the Czech Republic and Norway each started off their trek to a championship with a victory. Let’s take a look at the current standings after one day of play:

The Germans earned a share of the lead after eliminating China 11-5 and Russia 9-5 in the opening draws. The Swedes kept pace with victories over Scotland 8-4 and America 8-6 to set up an intriguing clash on Sunday between the two first-placed teams.

Canada earned a solid, 6-3 win against Denmark, proving that skip Kevin Koe is blocking out the distractions that have plagued him since recently winning the Tim Horton’s Brier.

Czech Republic and Norway also remain undefeated, as the teams notched victories against the USA 9-7 and Japan 9-5, respectively. One of these two will suffer a blemish shortly, as they meet in the third matchup on Sunday.

China is off to a rough start after losing to Germany 11-5 but many believe this emerging squad will soon become one of the premier powerhouses in the sport. According to Bob Weeks of Curling For Dummies (via Richard Silk of The Wall Street Jounal), the host nation has a small chance to win this tourney due to its improved strategy:

China has an outside chance. A few years ago they were very good technically, but they didn’t have the strategy. Now they’ve got that down.

While the Chinese team may be improving rapidly, support seems to be growing at a slower rate. Christopher Cameron of The News made a humorous comment about the amount of fans present.

Hopefully some more people show up as the event gets closer to crowning a champion.

Although the 2014 Winter Olympics hosts will be disappointed that neither the Russian men's nor women's curling team advanced to the medal rounds this February, there was more than enough drama to excite the crowd at the Ice Cube Curling Center in Sochi on Tuesday.

Only one matchup was scheduled for Day 11, but it turned out to be one of the best thus far, as Great Britain came from behind on the final end to knock out reigning Olympic silver medalists Norway 6-5 and secure the final berth in the men's four-team playoff, per The New York Times' Ben Rothenberg:

The jaw-dropping finish sets up a semifinal showdown with Sweden on Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET, 3 p.m. GMT). Canada and China will square off against one another in the other men's semifinal.

Here's a closer look at British skip David Murdoch's winning shot, which was aided by flawless effort from sweepers Michael Goodfellow and Scott Andrews, courtesy of SportsCentre host Bryan Mudryk: 

Afterward, Murdoch was adamant the he and his teammates had no other choice but to go for the incredibly difficult shot, per The Independent's Ronnie Esplin: 

I stood back and saw there was a shot for two and once we seen that, we were always going to go for it. Sometimes you just have to go for it. You have to trust everything you have done previously, all your practise shots, everything you have done all week.

We had the courage to go for it and were confident we were going to take it. I have played those guys a hundred times and the chances of stealing an extra end is very slim. So, as hard as the shot was, we had to go for it.

The memorable finish was so thrilling it even led some to challenge the system.

Unsurprisingly, even those who are new to the sport were glued to the action. 

Former freestyle swimmer Karen Pickering was among the many Britons inspired by their countrymen's never-say-die approach.

Some fans went to great lengths to show their support and pride. 

Although Great Britain will be flying high after their come-from-behind victory over the Norwegians, they won't have very long to celebrate before Wednesday's semifinal clash with top-seeded Sweden.

Not to mention, they'll face a tall task going up against the Scandinavian powerhouse. After all, Sweden went 8-1 in their round-robin matchups and topped their British rivals 8-4 in their previous meeting at the Ice Cube.

Still, with Murdoch locked in and his teammates believing they can overcome any and all odds, Great Britain must be considered a threat to reach the gold-medal game. And if not, the Europeans will still have an excellent shot to land on the podium this weekend. 

If they do, Murdoch's clutch shot will likely be talked about for years to come. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.