An epic comeback in the final of the Mixed Team event saw Team GB earn a first ever Youth Olympic curling gold medal as they recovered heroically from a potentially disastrous start to the decisive match against Denmark.
Having looked the best team in the competition throughout the event Logan Carson, Tia Laurie, Archie Hyslop and Holly Burke lost a four at the second end of the final, but then went on to dominate their opponents, allowing the Danes to score just one more shot in the ensuing six ends, before closing out a 7-5 victory at an extra end.
It was a magnificent performance by the teenage quartet as the all-Scottish line-up marked both Burns Night and the centenary of the opening day of the inaugural Winter Olympics, at which Great Britain also won curling gold.
Earlier in the day they had seen off the challenge of a Swiss team that was skipped by Nathan Dryburgh - son of 1998 British Olympic curler James Dryburgh – seizing the upper hand with a three at the opening end and never relinquishing the lead as they ran out 8-6 winners.
It was a very different story in the final, however, as they finished the event against the team they had met in their opening round-robin match and found themselves in trouble when, after being forced to take one at the first end, they conceded a four at the second.
They were, however, able to draw upon the inspiration provided by Team GB’s Chef de Mission for these Games, Eve Muirhead, since the position they were in carried echoes of the four her rink had conceded in the opening end of their Olympic semi-final two years ago before they recovered to win that match and go on to win the gold medal match.
“Our composure in the semi against Switzerland was key and we managed that well to get the win,” said Carson.
“In the final, it was more about our team dynamic being so strong that we always believed we could put pressure on the Danish team and luckily we got there in the end.
“Eve is a great role model to look up to when you're down and her and the whole of Team GB have been great at supporting us all week,” he added.
Their recovery from that 4-1 deficit was relentless and while they were forced to take just another single at the third end, they then continually challenged the Danes, allowing them to steal shots from their opponents who had last stone advantage at the fourth, fifth and, after a blanked sixth, again at the seventh end to move into a 5-4 lead.
At the eighth end Danish skip Jacob Schmidt once again faced huge pressure as he delivered his final stone, having to draw into the four foot to save the match and to his credit he did so, his stone drawing up just in time to count and make it 5-5.
However, Team GB were not to be denied as they again dominated the final end and Carson’s first delivery was sufficiently well placed that Schmidt was unable to remove it and lie shot, which meant the British skip could start the celebrations without having to play his final stone.
“Having hammer down the extra definitely gave me confidence we could win and I trusted my own ability and composure to be able to finish it off,” said Carson.
“It was a relief not having to play the last shot but I'd be confident in making it anyway.
“We're really proud to make history today.
“I feel like we've deserved this after our performances.”
Their gold medal success was also a massive confidence boost for Carson and Hyslop as they prepare to rejoin forces with Carson’s older brother Orrin and Charlie Gibb at next month’s Scottish Championships and the World Junior Championships, where they are aiming to upgrade the bronze medal they won last year.
“Archie and I have a few days to soak up this moment and celebrate with our families then we'll be fully focused on preparing for the world juniors,” he said.
On a day which also saw Zak Carrick-Smith, son of four-time Olympian Emma Carrick-Anderson, win his second gold medal in Alpine skiing slalom, Chef de Mission Muirhead expressed her delight.
“What a day with two gold medals for Team GB and I’m so chuffed for the curlers who have been fantastic all week,” she enthused.
“I’m very, very proud of all of them.”
She admitted to experiencing flashbacks from 2022 when the youngsters lost that four early in the match, but was impressed with the way they handled that setback.
“Conceding the four in the second end isn’t the best scenario and it brought back a lot of memories from our semi-final, but we showed there that it was still possible to come back and win a game and that’s exactly what they did,” she said.
“They just kept grinding away, got a couple of mistakes out of the Danish skip and before they knew it they were back in control.”
And the four-time Olympian, who also won a bronze medal in Sochi in 2014, reckoned that the day’s efforts could have an impact on the whole of Team GB for the remainder of these 2024 Games.
“The majority of Team GB personnel were in the arena tonight which was such a great thing and for them to be performing in front of those crowds is such a great honour,” she said.
“It has definitely impacted morale and given everyone a boost, including the athletes who are yet to start to competing and also those who are midway through tournaments, so we’re looking forward to seeing what the next couple of weeks brings out here.”
The Mixed Doubles event gets underway tomorrow, with Aberdeen’s Ethan Brewster – son of 2014 Olympic silver medallist Tom Brewster - and Callie Soutar from Forfar representing Team GB.
Results and Schedule:
Saturday 20 - Day 1
GB – Denmark 7-6
Sunday 21- Day 2
GB – Germany 4-7
GB – Canada 6-3
Monday 22 - Day 3
GB – Korea 3-2
Tuesday 23 – Day 4 - QUALIFIED
GB – Italy 7-5
GB – Switzerland 8-4
Wednesday 24 – Day 5
GB – Brazil 9-4
Thursday 25 – Day 6
Semi Finals
Team GB v Switzerland 8-6
China v Denmark
Bronze Medal Game
Gold Medal Game
Team GB – Denmark (EE) 7-5 GOLD
Please click here for the schedule and results
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Images: Team GB/Sam Mellish
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