Emotional Team GB curlers react as gold medal hopes vanish at Winter Olympics

Great Britain’s mixed doubles curling team missed the chance to guarantee at least a silver medal as they dropped into the bronze-medal match after losing 6-5 to Norway in a tense semi-final at the Winter Olympics.

Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds led the Norwegians 4-2 after five ends but were pipped with virtually the last throw as their hopes of securing gold vanished.

While Norway will now meet impressive Italy in the final, the Scottish pair face Sweden on Tuesday morning with a bronze medal up for grabs.

Team GB beat Sweden 9-5 when the teams met in the group stages in Beijing.

‘We controlled the match which is the toughest part for us,’ an emotional Mouat said. ‘We were in control for the first four ends and even in the fifth we were looking good for a multiple.

‘I am just disappointed more at my last three ends. Jen played amazing all day. I am disappointed more about what I have done for the team than myself. It is tough.

‘We pushed them as far as we could. It will be tough to get over but there is a medal still up for grabs and we are hungry for it.’

Dodds added: ‘Bruce said it all. We were in control for most of the game. I felt that was the best we played all week so I think it makes it even harder to take.

‘We gave ourselves a chance at the end and that is all we could ask for. We have to regroup for tomorrow – there is still a medal to be won out there.’

Elsewhere in Beijing, British teenager Kirsty Muir qualified for the ski big air final after seeing Team GB team-mates Katie Summerhayes and James Woods miss out.

The 17-year-old was seventh with a score of 157.50 while Summerhayes agonisingly finished 13th on 136.50, with the top 12 advancing to Tuesday’s final.

<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>Disappointing for Jen