Italy wins first-ever Olympic curling medal, beats Norway for gold in mixed doubles

Italy won the gold medal in the mixed doubles curling event after beating Norway 8-5 at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday.

Norway were awarded silver, while Sweden took bronze after a 9-3 victory over Britain earlier in the day.

Italian pair Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner battled Norway for gold after clinching their country’s first Olympic curling medal with a dominant win over Sweden at the National Aquatics Centre on Monday.

Constantini and Mosaner were emotional after overwhelming their Swedish opponents 8-1 in seven ends in the semifinal and drew loud cheers from their compatriots in attendance after cruising to victory.

“It’s a dream,” Constantini said. “We are feeling so happy and proud of ourselves. We saw our families on the screen here and we started to cry. It was really a magical moment.”

The Italian pair defeated Canada’s John Morris and Rachel Homan in a tight contest on Monday.

Canada fell millimetres short against the Italians in the 8-7 defeat after losing the close measure in the extra end.

Morris, 43, who won the inaugural mixed doubles gold with Kaitlyn Lawes in Pyeongchang in 2018, hinted at retirement after the narrow defeat. “It’s probably the toughest loss I’ve ever had,” he said.

“It was such an honour to wear the maple leaf. We did it with all our hearts… Rachel will be back again. I’m not sure about myself, but the tank is almost empty.”

by Reuters