Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat suffer heavy defeat in their mixed curling bronze medal play-off clash with Sweden as Team GB’s wait for first Beijing 2022 medal goes on
- Team GB have missed out on a first medal in Beijing in the mixed curling
- Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat suffered defeat to Sweden, going down 9-3
- The world champions had lost their semi-final to Norway on the final stone
Sweden’s Almida de Val and Oskar Eriksson added a mixed doubles medal to their country’s glittering Olympic curling trophy cabinet after clinching bronze with a 9-3 dismantling of Britain at the National Aquatics Centre on Tuesday.
Reigning world champion Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat were 1-0 up after opening end but were left staring at an 8-1 deficit at the halfway mark as Sweden scored four and then three to storm ahead.
It was an uphill battle for Britain and although they claimed a couple of points, the pair conceded the match in the sixth end.
Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds suffered defeat in their bronze medal match in Beijing
Mouat (pictured) admitted the pair were punished for a bad start to their bronze match
Their opponents received loud applause from spectators and the Swedish contingent including veteran men’s skip Niklas Edin, whose rink Eriksson will join as third when the competition starts on Wednesday.
Men’s and women’s curling teams from Sweden have previously won nine Olympic medals in total, including three golds, with the country being the second most successful in Games history behind fellow heavyweights Canada.
Italy, with a perfect record so far, and 2018 bronze medallists Norway will vie for gold in the mixed doubles event later in the day
Almida de Val and Oskar Eriksson celebrate after the Team GB pair conceded the game
Speaking to BBC One, Mouat said: ‘It got off to a bad start and that punished us the most and we had to fight back from there.
‘Almida [de Val] made a really good shot for four which fair play to her in such a game to make those shots I bet it’s a great feeling for her.
‘We’re going to have to console ourselves because we’re got a big week with both of our teams. We’re both ready for that but, it’s a quick turnaround for tomorrow anyway.’
Dodds added: ‘I don’t think either of them made a mistake – the only thing I can think of is that Oscar [Eriksson] made that run back at the end and that was it.
‘It’s hard to fight back when your opposition is playing that well. Congratulations to them for winning the bronze they played amazing today.’