Winter Olympics digest: Team GB coach branded a ‘traitor curler’

Great Britain’s women’s curling team have secured a spot in Friday’s semi-finals after a 6-5 victory over Canada this morning.

Led by Eve Muirhead, Team GB won two points in the final end to beat Canada and they will now face Sweden in the final four. Skipper Muirhead praised the team for their determination and patience. She said: “As a team I think we played really well. Everyone is communicating great. The last few games we’ve got better and better and that’s important building into the play-offs. As a team, we love playing under the pressure. You thrive under that. When you’re on the ice, you don’t think of anything else.”

Team GB play Sweden at 11.05am on Friday with South Korea facing Japan in the other semi-final. Muirhead added: “You can’t get to the gold medal match until you get to the semi-final so it’s about minor goals. The first goal is to get to the final four. Whether you’re first, second, third or fourth in the rankings, it doesn’t matter. It is two semi-finals and that is where we’re at now. The next goal is to win that.”

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Meanwhile, Britain’s men’s curling team lost 10-4 to the USA and will now have to play in a tie-break against Switzerland tomorrow (12.05am) for a place in the semi-finals.

Team GB curling coach branded a ‘traitor’

While the Team GB women’s team were celebrating reaching the semi-finals, the victory against Canada was bittersweet for coach Glenn Howard.

The Times reports that the Canadian coach, who joined Team GB in 2016, was branded a “traitor curler” on his Wikipedia page after his home nation were knocked out of the Winter Olympics.

The 6-5 defeat meant that for the first time in Olympic curling history Canada will not finish on the podium. But for Howard the only thing he is thinking about is Team GB’s success.

He said: “I’m not naive enough to think it’s all roses. It’s tough and it’s too bad that it came to us knocking out Canada. I’ve had the Maple Leaf on my back and I’m proud to wear that, but I was hired two years ago and proud to put GB on my back, and I was 110% here for Great Britain today.”