BEIJING (Reuters) -Italian pair Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner will battle Norway for mixed doubles gold after clinching their country’s first Olympic curling medal with a dominant win over Sweden at the National Aquatics Centre on Monday.
Constantini and Mosaner were emotional after overwhelming their Swedish opponents 8-1 in seven ends in the semi-final and drew loud cheers from their compatriots in attendance after cruising to victory.
“It’s a dream,” Constantini said. “We are feeling so happy and proud of ourselves. We saw our families on the screen here and we started to cry. It was really a magical moment.”
Norwegians Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten, bronze medallists in Pyeongchang four years ago, edged reigning world champions Britain in a stirring 6-5 comeback win to guarantee another podium finish.
Italy qualified for the last four after winning all nine preliminary games. Although even Mosaner was pleasantly surprised by their stunning unbeaten run, he remains determined to keep the perfect record intact.
“We never expected to play in the final of an Olympics, but we made it,” he said. “I had a little bit of pressure on me because we had the perfect round-robin.
“Tomorrow, we will try to give everything on the ice and bring home the gold medal.”
With Norway and Britain level at 5-5 going into the final end, Skaslien threw the last stone as Nedregotten swept and took out the British rock to seal a thrilling victory.
“After the first four games when we had one victory and three losses, if someone told me that I would stand here today and win the semi-final, I wouldn’t believe it,” Skaslien said.
“Four years ago we were underdogs… We were kind of exhausted when we came to the play-offs. This time, we knew what it was all about.
The second outing of mixed doubles as an Olympic event will see a new champion crowned on Tuesday after Canada’s hopes of retaining gold were dashed by the barest of margins earlier on Monday.
Needing a win to secure a semi-final spot, John Morris and Rachel Homan fell millimetres short against the Italian pair in the 8-7 defeat after losing the close measure in the extra end.
Morris, 43, who won the inaugural mixed doubles gold with Kaitlyn Lawes in Pyeongchang in 2018, hinted at retirement after the narrow defeat. “It’s probably the toughest loss I’ve ever had,” he said.
“It was such an honour to wear the maple leaf. We did it with all our hearts… Rachel will be back again. I’m not sure about myself, but the tank is almost empty.”
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Bill Berkrot)
