Team GB’s women came within inches of getting their Olympic campaign off to the perfect start in Beijing’s Ice Cube when skip Eve Muirhead’s attempt to draw the winning shot with the final stone of the extra end against World Champions Switzerland slid just past the button.
It was the only steal the Swiss line-up that has won the last two World Championships managed all day against the team that had beaten them to the European Championship title in November.
However, with her new line-up, that has won every event they have played in since coming through British Curling’s challenging nine player squad system this season before winning the Olympic Qualification Event just a fortnight after that victory at the Euros, their vastly experienced skip was far from down-hearted.
“It’s not the result we wanted, but I think we can take a lot of very good things from that game,” said the four-time Olympian, who was Team GB’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony in Beijing last week.
“There were a lot of things that will keep us positive going forward. As a team I think we worked very well on our communication. Our shot play was good, but we maybe just didn’t play the crucial shots at the right time and me missing that last draw is what wins and loses you games.
“It’s essential that we take every day and every game at a time. Today’s our only day with two games, so after this we can take every day as a different day. 
“We can take a of of confidence into tonight. We know games are going to come down to that last shot. That’s just how it is and unfortunately today it just didn’t come off.”
The day one schedule could hardly have been more challenging for the British women, who had to recover from that tough match ahead of facing Sweden, who won the Olympic title four years ago in Korea.
“We know it’s not going to be easy against the current Olympic champions. We had a very tight game against them in the Europeans and I know it’s going to be tight tonight,” said Muirhead.
“There’s nothing stopping us beating them again. The Olympic Games is a different kettle of fish out here, but we know that if we continue a lot of great stuff we did out there against Switzerland I know it’ll be a good game.”
After both teams had started very conservatively resulting in the Swiss leading 2-1 at halfway, after starting with the hammer, Team GB came out from the midway break well by registering the first multiple score of the match with a two at the sixth end, as Alina Paetz, playing skip stones for Team Tirinzoni, missed with an attempted takeout and left Eve Muirhead with a draw for a two.
Paetz then made another mistake with the last stone of the seventh end, missing another open opportunity for a takeout in attempting to blank the end and handing the British team a 4-2 lead.
When Muirhead was unable to find the angle to make a difficult attempted double takeout at the eighth, however, Paetz was left with a draw to level the scores.
Both teams were forced to settle for singles at the next two ends, before Muirhead was left with a draw to the button with that last stone of the final end which just carried a foot too far, handing Switzerland the win.
“I threw close to what I wanted to throw and it was up, down, up, down with the sweepers the whole way,” she said.
“They’re never easy to judge. The sweepers have to judge it to a penny and today it just didn’t come off, but I’m sure that if I have a shot like that again I’m confident that I’ll make it.”
While travel and quarantine time contributed to the team being kept off the ice for the past week, Muirhead dismissed that as any sort of excuse.
“I don’t think we can blame not having enough practise time on the ice,” she said.
“Over the last few months I’ve thrown a lot of stones and it was the most time off the ice since the summer break so different prep to what we’re used to going into events, but it’s the same the majority of players here. We had a great practce yesterday and then a good game today which wasn’t quite good enough at the end.”
She believes, however, that strong team dynamics will stand them in good stead as they seek to re-group quickly.
“There’s a lot of hunger and a fourth Olympic Games is something that you dream of coming to,” said Muirhead.
“I’m very glad that I’ve got the chance to be here with four girls who are at their first Olympic Games. I’m proud of how much they’ve come along and fought and deserved their spot in the team. They’ve helped me get here and I hope I’ve helped them get here, so we’re really pleased with our first performance, but we now really need to come out and keep fighting against Sweden.
“It's essential that we get on off the ice and we get on really well. We know what people like to do when they want to switch off and on the ice we know how to push each other’s buttons to get the most out of each other, so as a team we are very tight.
“If I look back at past Olympics I’ve enjoyed playing with every team I’ve played with and this team we’ve come a long way from a squad system and now we’re here at the Olympics and we’ve just got to keep fighting.
Schedule:
Thursday 10 February
GBR (w) - Switzerland 5-6 (EE)
GBR (m) - Italy
GBR (w) - Sweden
