Curling – Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics – Women’s Semi-final – South Korea v Japan – Gangneung Curling Center – Gangneung, South Korea – February 23, 2018 – South Korea players celebrate after winning. REUTERS/John Sibley
February 23, 2018
By Steve Keating
GANGNEUNG, South Korea (Reuters) – South Korea secured their first Olympic curling medal with a nail-biting 8-7 extra-ends win over arch-rivals Japan in the women’s semi-finals on Friday to set up a showdown with Sweden, who will play for gold for the fourth straight Winter Games.
The Swedes scored a pair in the sixth and stole three in the seventh to clinch a 10-5 win over Britain in a contest featuring the silver and bronze medalists from the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Japan will play Britain for the bronze on Saturday while South Korea, who earned their “Garlic Girls” nickname coming from a county known for its garlic, will square off on Sunday for the gold.
The only Asian nation to win an Olympic medal was China who took the women’s bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Games
South Korea will top that, guaranteed at least a silver after a nervy victory over Japan secured when skip Kim Eun-jung delivered a pressure pack draw to the button for the winning point.
(Additional reporting by Jane Chung, Editing by Ed Osmond)
