 Team Anna Hasselborg (Photo: World Curling) are back on top at the Olympics with a 6-5 victory over Switzerland in the gold medal game. By: Cameron Sallaj It's another gold medal for the Anna Hasselborg rink of Sweden as the 2018 Olympic champions took down Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni 6-5 to win the gold medal. It was a strong week for the Swedish team of Hasselborg, Sara McManus, Agnes Knochenhauer and Sofia Scharback who won their first six games out of the gate to secure the first spot in the playoffs. Then, the team suffered their only two losses of the tournament in consecutive games to Canada and South Korea, pushing their record to 6-2. Still, the team bounced back to win their final round robin game and enter the medal round as the number one seeds. Up against Canada in a rematch in the semifinal, the Swedes controlled the game from the offset. After swapping singles in the first half, the team scored the only deuce of the game in six and stole one in the seventh to go ahead by three. They were then able to remain ahead for the rest of the game to punch their ticket to the gold medal match. In the final, Sweden went up against Switzerland's Team Silvana Tirinzoni, four-time world champions. Things got off to a good start for Team Hasselborg right away in this game as with the hammer in the first, the team scored two to take an early lead. After trading singles through four and five, Switzerland scored two in the sixth end to tie the score at three all. The current number two ranked team in the world then forced the Swedes to just one in the seventh, taking the hammer into end number eight. The biggest turning point of the match came in the eighth end when Swiss fourth Alina Paetz jammed her final double takeout attempt for two. This gave Sweden the steal and allowed them to take a two-point lead going into nine. Despite Switzerland scoring their deuce to tie the game coming home, Anna Hasselborg was left with an open takeout to win the game on her final rock in ten which she made no mistake on. It's a second Olympic gold medal for the entire Swedish team, who alongside Team Annette Norberg, are the only two-time gold medalists in Swedish curling history. It's also a third Olympic medal for the entire team who won a bronze at the Beijing Games in 2022. With the win, second Agnes Knochenhauer also becomes the first curler to win an Olympic medal at four consecutive Games and ties Oskar Eriksson for the most decorated Olympic curler ever. Team Hasselborg came together as a foursome for the 2015-16 season with the goal of representing Sweden at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang. After winning the gold medal, the team has stuck together into its 10th season and continues to build. As a team, they have captured two World Championship silver medals, three European gold medals and eight Grand Slam of Curling titles, becoming one of the most dominant teams in the women's game. While they will not represent Sweden at the upcoming World Women's Championship, the team closes out the quadrennial on a high of reclaiming the Olympic gold medal. For the runner-up Team Switzerland, the silver medal in Cortina is a first Olympic medal for all five members of the team, adding to their extensive international resume. Since forming in 2018, Alina Paetz and Silvana Tirinzoni have never missed the podium at the World Championships, amassing four consecutive gold medals from 2019 to 2023 and two silvers the previous two seasons with current front enders Carole Howald and Selina Witschonke. Although they are not leaving with the color medal they had hoped for, the Olympic silver adds further legacy to one of the best women's teams to ever play the game. Team Sweden finished 7-2 through the round robin at the 2026 Winter Olympics, losing to Canada's Rachel Homan and South Korea's Gim Eun-ji. Advancing to the playoffs as the number one seeds, the team got their revenge against Canada 6-3 in the semifinal before defeating Switzerland 6-5 to win the Olympic gold medal. |
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Team Anna Hasselborg (Photo: World Curling) are back on top at the Olympics with a 6-5 victory over Switzerland in the gold medal game.
