 World number three ranked Gyeonggi Province's Gim Eun-ji (Photo: Curling1spoon) defend their national title in a thrilling extra end final Monday in Uijeongbu. By: Cameron Sallaj On the final day of the Korean Curling Championships, only two teams were left standing, Ha Seung-youn and Gim Eun-ji. Ha and her teammates from Chuncheon topped the round robin with a 6-1 record and won the 1 vs. 2 game while Gim and her Uijeongbu squad finished third in the preliminary stage and won two straight playoff games to reach the final. Starting defensively with a blank in the first end, Chuncheon City Hall got on the board first with a single point in the second end. Then in the third end, it appeared Gyeonggi Province would also be forced until a perfect angle tap to the button on Gim's last rock gave her team two points. Ha then blanked again in four before tying the score at two all with a single in five. Coming back in the second half, Team Ha regained control of the match by stealing a single point. Facing two, Gim needed an in-off to the button to score but was only able to outcount one Chuncheon stone. In the seventh, Gim executed a perfect hit-and-roll on her first stone, forcing Ha Seung-youn into a runback which she would miss. This allowed Gim and her 2024 world championship bronze medal rink a draw to the button for two, which they made, lifting them ahead once again 4-3. Through the final three ends of the game, both teams managed to force their opposition to take just one point with the hammer, eventually leading to a 5-5 tie after ten. This sent the game into overtime with Gim holding the coveted last rock. With no guards in play, Ha Seung-youn needed a perfect tap back on her final stone to give Gim a difficult shot for the win. Her stone was a few feet heavy, however, and bounced off the shot rock. With her last rock, Gim Eun-ji ensured victory for her team with a nose hit to count one and secure their second consecutive Korean championship title. Ranking third in the world after the 2023-24 season, Gim and teammates Kim Min-ji, Kim Su-ji, Seol Ye-eun and Seol Ye-ji will pose a threat once again for the rest of the world as the team will represent Korea at all international events during the 2024-25 season. This includes the 2024 Pan Continental Curling Championships, 2025 Asian Winter Games, and the 2025 World Women's Curling Championship in their hometown of Uijeongbu. There, they will look to improve their placement from the 2024 world championship where they won the bronze medal. |
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