Team GB pull off great escape against Switzerland to guarantee curling medal and keep hopes of glory alive

Fight Club writer Chuck Palahniuk erstwhile surmised that history does thing but repetition itself.

In Cortina, Great Britain’s curlers are hoping to beryllium that conception true.

Rhona Martin and Eve Muirhead some led British squads to improbable curling golden medals and connected Saturday night, Bruce Mouat will dream to do nan aforesaid aft a time of rollercoaster emotions connected and disconnected nan ice.

No wintertime athletics holds hostility rather for illustration nan roaring crippled and nan Edinburgh skip and his set of merry Scotsmen are abruptly making each nan noise.

Matt Weston mightiness beryllium nan nation’s caller velocity demon aft his double sliding golden but Mouat is nan coolest feline connected crystal aft masterminding a heist of epic proportions.

The 31-year-old and teammates Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie woke up yesterday greeting pinch their bags packed and their knock-out retired of their hands. They went to furniture preparing for an Olympic final.

Victory would people an all-time Olympic awesome flight aft their title hopes appeared successful tatters pursuing 4 defeats from 5 group matches.

Indeed, apical seeds Switzerland gave them a leg-up into nan semis by beating hosts Italy successful their past round-robin game. And Great Britain’s Scottish quartet past thanked them by dumping Yannick Schwaller’s batch retired a fewer hours later.

The world champions person recovered shape astatine nan cleanable clip and will fancy their chances of striking golden against Canada connected Saturday evening.

“Honestly, it has been nan astir unthinkable week, it's not gone each our measurement and knew that this greeting we mightiness not beryllium playing again,” Mouat said. “So, truthful galore emotions person happened coming successful 1 time and it's a wee spot overwhelming successful nan infinitesimal to realise that we had won.

“He [Benoit Berkel Schwarz-Van] had that changeable that very reliable changeable to possibly only get 1 and erstwhile he missed it, it was conscionable a wee spot of like, beatified bad word, for illustration this is really happening.

“I americium so, very, very proud of us.”

Martin, who threw down nan epic chromatic of destiny to lead Great Britain’s women to a celebrated golden successful Salt Lake City 24 years ago, besides had a rocky roadworthy to nan final.

Her squad needed to triumph 2 tie-breakers conscionable to scope nan semi-finals, and past rode nan crest of nan activity each nan measurement to that epic destiny throw.

Muirhead’s rink successful Beijing hardly pulled up trees either. They besides battled to a 5-4 information robin grounds earlier surging to gold. Momentum matters.

The British squad are bidding to spell 1 amended than nan metallic badge they claimed astatine nan past Games successful Beijing. The symptom of that conclusion has fuelled 4 years of curling power and they person swept each earlier them astatine world and European level since.

They are missing conscionable 1 badge from their postulation and are now 1 triumph distant from achieving it and becoming nan first British men’s squad to triumph curling golden since 1924.

“We are very excited,” Mouat added. “There's truthful overmuch history successful our athletics and a batch of it goes backmost to Scotland versus Canada.

“So, our first ever World Championship final, we played Canada successful Canada. So, now getting to play an Olympic golden badge crippled against Canada is beautiful special.”

By reaching nan final, nan Scottish quartet person besides ensured Team GB will deed UK Sport’s badge target of betwixt 4 and eight.

That appeared successful immoderate uncertainty aft 5 fourth-place finishes here, moreover though 3 golden medals already marks their top Winter Olympic return. On this evidence, a 4th tomorrow is very overmuch on.

Switzerland won each 9 successful nan group shape – including triumph against Great Britain – while Mouat’s squad limped done astatine 5-4 but location was very small betwixt them connected Thursday.

Switzerland led 4-3 astatine half-way but Mouat, nan squad leader, stole a constituent successful nan sixth extremity and past played a superb chromatic successful nan 8 to drawback 2 more.

They led 6-5 up of nan last extremity but pinch Switzerland having nan past shot, it was successful their favour.

However, Mouat, Hardie, McMillan and Hardie positioned their shots perfectly, boxed nan Swiss successful and watched them play a nervy past stone. It vanished pinch Great Britain lying changeable and sealing their spot successful an improbable final.

“It's going to beryllium a reliable game,” McMillan added up of nan final. “We hit them successful nan semi-final of nan World Championships successful Moose Jaw there.

“We person played them a batch of times. It's going to beryllium a battle. I conjecture connected insubstantial this week, they've been nan second-best squad down Switzerland. So we, again, cognize we've sewage to bring nan capacity we gave successful nan past 4 aliases 5 ends we've brought there, for 10 ends.

“We haven't astir apt rather had a afloat A positive 10 extremity crippled yet. So clip to bring it connected Saturday.”