Norway had them but faded at the end
Switzerland fought off a strong challenge from Norway to win a taut championship final at the world women’s curling finale at Sandviken, Sweden.
The 6-3 result for Silvana Tirinzoni over Marianne Roervik gave the Swiss their fourth consecutive world title—undefeated at 14-0 for the second straight year—and an overall 36-game winning streak at the women’s worlds.
Roervik and teammates Kristin Skaslien, Mille Haslev Nordbye and Martine Roenning were the better team for much of the game, pushing Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni, Alina Paetz, Carole Howald and Briar Schwaller-Hürlimann at nearly every turn.
Swiss sharpshooter Alina Paetz came back to earth, somewhat, shooting 84 per cent in the final. She was forced to make an early runback and a draw against three in the fifth end to keep her defending champions close.
A Swiss decision to draw in the eighth end—thrown perfectly by Paetz—was eventually nullified by Norwegian fourth-thrower Skaslien’s gentle runback for a 3-3 tie.
Skaslien threw a touch heavy in the ninth and opened the door for Paetz to draw against two for a 4-3 Swiss lead.
After both fourth-throwers threw half-misses on their first stones of the 10th end, Skaslien faced a draw against two stones in the back eight-foot rings to force the extra-end. She pulled the string, coming up well short of the house, and the Swiss had the inflated 6-3 victory.
“I don’t know to describe it,” said Tirinzoni.
“I felt like (Norway) outplayed us today, actually. It was such a close game, we could go on either side. It didn’t look very good in the ninth end and also in the 10th.
“Just out here, being a world champion again, is just unbelievable.”
The week in Sandviken marked Norway’s first appearance in a women’s world final since 2004. Dordi Nordby won silver that year in Gavle, losing the final to Canada’s Colleen Jones—with current Norway skip Roervik at alternate position.
Nordby captured Norway’s only world women’s title at Winnipeg in 1991.
This same Norwegian team went 5-7 at last year’s worlds in Prince George, B.C.
Swiss teams have won eight of the last 12 world women’s titles.
Canada and Sweden faced off for bronze following Saturday’s semifinals.
For the second straight year, Kerri Einarson’s Canadians took the bronze medals over Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg foursome, this time by an 8-5 result.
