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BEIJING, China — Sweden’s Niklas Edin faced tough opposition from Britain’s Bruce Mouat, but won 5-4 in extra end Saturday in the final of the Beijing Olympics men’s curling tournament.
While a stone from Edin was installed on the button, in the 11th end, Mouat just missed his hit and his stone did not touch his opponent’s. The British watched in desolation as the Swedes kicked off the celebrations.
Sweden won the first Olympic gold medal in its history in men’s curling. Edin won bronze at the 2014 Sochi Games and lost in the final to American John Shuster at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
The Swedes had taken second place overall and reached the final with a semi-final victory over the Canadian quartet led by Brad Gushue.
Great Britain was looking for its first gold medal since the Chamonix Games in 1924. It won the bronze medal in Sochi.
Mouat had suffered just one loss in nine round-robin games, rising to the top of the standings. He had defeated Shuster in the semi-finals to move on to the final duel.
Gushue and his team completed the podium following an 8-5 win over the United States on Friday.
The Swedes got going after conceding a point to their opponents in the first end. They scored two points to take a 2-1 lead and stole a point from the Brits in the third end.
The game then calmed down for the rest of the clash.
Mouat made it 3-2 in the fourth end and Edin held the hammer for four straight ends. After seeing the Brits tie the game, Sweden took a 4-3 lead with two ends to go.
The game of chess continued in the 10th end, when Edin made two great outings to force his opponent to try a field goal. Mouat placed his stone on the button to force an extra end.
