Beijing 2022 women's curling final: Preview, schedule and stars to watch

After two breathless semi-finals, the women’s curling final at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is set.

Japan and Great Britain will do battle for gold in the National Aquatics Centre aka ‘The Ice Cube’ on Sunday (20 February) at 09:05 Chinese Standard Time (CST).

It will be a match not without its baggage.

At PyeongChang 2018 Team GB, skipped by Eve Muirhead, met Fujisawa Satsuki’s Japan for the bronze medal match, both teams having been side-lined by eventual gold and silver medallists Sweden and Republic of Korea.

After Muirhead's last draw came up short, Japan won 5-3 to win their country its first ever Olympic curling medal.

It was unparalleled joy for the Japanese and heartbreak for Muirhead and Britain.

Now with a new rink full of fresh faces, the well-loved British skip will finally have a chance to redeem herself on Sunday, in what is her first Olympic final. Prior to PyeongChang, her best performance was bronze at Sochi 2014.

“I've got almost every gold medal apart from the Olympic gold medal,” said Muirhead. “It's always been a dream of mine.

"It's against the same girls. We love the Japanese girls. They're so much fun and we get on so well with them. They just love curling and that's fantastic for the sport."

And there is more than just her pride at stake.

After her male counterpart Bruce Mouat and his men fell short against Sweden in Saturday's in the men’s final, all hopes of a British gold medal in Beijing rest with Muirhead.

The skip will try to emulate Rhona Howie, then known as Rhona Martin, who won Britain’s last curling gold at Salt Lake City 2002 as recalled in the documentary film 'A Brilliant Curling Story'.

For Japan, an Olympic curling final is also uncharted territory,

Before Fujisawa’s rink -