 Gyeonggi Province (Photo: Curling1spoon) are back on top in Korea as national champions for the first time since 2019. By: Cameron Sallaj Entering the 2023 Korean Curling Championships, three women's teams were clear favorites above the rest of the field: Gyeonggi Province, Chuncheon City Hall, and Gangneung City Hall. No other team had won the championship in over a decade and that streak continued with the 2023 championship. In the first of three rounds of the championship, Gim Eun-ji and her team of Kim Min-ji, Kim Su-ji, Seol Ye-eun, and Seol Ye-ji dominated the field, winning eight consecutive games without a single defeat. Behind them were defending champions Chuncheon City Hall, led by Ha Seung-youn at 6-2 along with 2022 world silver medalists Gangneung City Hall led by Kim Eun-jung, also at 6-2. Rounding out the teams advancing was Gyeongbuk Association's Kim Min-seo who went 4-4. The second round of the event saw Gim continue to dominate. They breezed past Gyeongbuk Association 10-1 before downing Gangneung City Hall's Kim 7-3. Entering the last game of the third round, they faced Chuncheon City Hall who were 1-1, while 1-1 Kim Eun-jung battled 0-2 Gyeongbuk Association. A loss by Gim and a win by Kim would create a three-way tie for first where Gim would be eliminated from the event after a 10-1 run. As expected, Kim Eun-jung and her Gangneung rink defeated Kim Min-seo of Gyeongbuk 10-3 to qualify for the third round at 2-1. In a tight finish, Gim edged Ha 5-4 in the other game to also qualify for the final round, eliminating the defending champions Chuncheon City Hall in third place. Like the men's event, the final round was held in a best-of-five between the two advancing teams, however, with results from rounds one and two carrying over. Because Gyeonggi had beaten Gangneung in both the first and second rounds, they only needed one more victory to claim the national title. Kim Eun-jung's Gangneung rink, with Kim Kyeong-ae, Kim Cho-hi, Kim Seon-yeong, and Kim Yeong-mi weren't going down without a fight, however. In the third game of the final, the 2018 Olympic silver medalists trailed Gyeonggi 3-1 after six ends before stealing their way to a 6-3 victory. This forced a fourth game and kept Gangneung City Hall in the running for the national crown. The fourth game did not get off to a good start for Gangneung City Hall, as Gyeonggi Province got out to a 5-0 lead after just three ends. Team Kim was able to get a single back in the fourth end to get on the board and stole a single in the fifth after a perfect runback double takeout by Kim Eun-jung on her final stone. Team Gim reclaimed their five-point lead by taking two in the sixth end to go up 7-2. The teams then traded singles in ends seven and eight, with Gyeonggi continuing to hold an 8-3 lead. Despite this, Gangneung continued to fight and managed to score a big three points in the ninth end after a perfect split by third Kim Kyeong-ae. Needing a steal of two in the tenth end, Team Kim played a perfect end, sitting two on the center line with a guard protecting them. On her final rock, Gim Eun-ji needed to draw full-four to secure the title, which is exactly what she did. Gyeonggi scored one from the end, won the game 9-6, and became the Korean national team for the 2023-24 season. As mentioned, this is the first time since 2019 that Gyeonggi has won the national championship, however, they did not get to enjoy all the perks of being the national team during the 2019-20 season. After a bronze medal at the 2019 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, the team needed to play in the 2020 World Qualification Event to earn a spot in the world championship. There, they went 7-0 in the round robin, and defeated Italy 6-5 to qualify for the 2020 World Women's Curling Championship in Prince George, British Columbia. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled days before it was set to begin and the team never got to represent the country on the world stage. Four years later, Gyeonggi Province is in its strongest standing its ever been. Currently ranked fifth in the world, the team had an incredible 2022-23 season which saw them win three events, including the prestigious Autumn Gold Curling Classic. They also advanced to the semifinals of four Grand Slam of Curling events, allowing them to climb the standings and rank amongst the top five in the world. In an interview with KBS, the teams skip Gim Eun-ji said: "I feel so good and I can't put it into words, but I just want to scream. The Korean team has never won the championship. We're aiming to win." This refers to South Korea never winning a world curling championship title before, with Team Gim hoping to be the first to do so. Gim Eun-ji, Kim Min-ji, Kim Su-ji, Seol Ye-eun and Seol Ye-ji will represent Korea at the 2023 Pan Continental Curling Championships from October 29 to November 4. If they finish within the top five, they will qualify for the 2024 World Women's Curling Championship, scheduled to be held March 16 to 24 in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Watch the replay of the 2023 Korean Curling Championships final between Gyeonggi Province (Gim Eun-ji) and Gangneung City Hall (Kim Eun-jung): |
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