GB curlers denied Olympic gold at death yet again

Bruce Mouat’s rink were unable to end a 102-year wait for a men’s Winter Olympic curling gold – and vanquish their own disappointment from 2022 – as Canada denied Team GB a fourth gold medal of this year’s Games.

Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie – plus alternate Kyle Waddell – arrived in Cortina as world champions and favourites.

They arrived believing this was their time. But they will leave as silver medallists for the second successive Olympics.

Left bereft by defeat against Sweden in the final in Beijing four years ago, the Scottish quartet have come to dominate their sport since.

The past 10 days in Italy have not been straightforward though.

They were on the brink of a shock early exit as recently as Thursday and, while they recovered to guarantee a medal, they did not get the one they really wanted as they lost 9-6. It was the second time the Canadians had beaten them in five days.

After the epic semi-final win over Switzerland on Thursday, Mouat referred to it as “our gold medal”. Presumptuous? Perhaps. But that belief was founded in fact.

His rink have won two World Championships and a couple of European crowns as well as a record 12 Grand Slam titles since the last Games.

Furthermore, they boast an excellent record against the Canadians and beat them in last year’s world semis. Jacobs’ time-served team did win the round-robin meeting earlier in the week but that was a rare reverse.

In that contest, GB led after six ends before slipping to the 9-5 defeat that left them needing favours from other teams.

It was the same this time, a fabulous Mouat double-takeout edging GB 5-4 ahead at that stage after a cagey opening half during which he and 2014 gold-medallist Brad Jacobs traded points.

Canada – who have had a tumultuous time of it themselves here amid cheating claims – drew level after seven, but Britain had the advantage of the hammer in two of the final three ends.

They could not make the most of that though.

Just one in the eighth for GB gave Canada the sniff of an opportunity and that snatched it ruthlessly, capitalising on some slack stones in the ninth to lead 8-6 going into the last.

Mouat had the hammer but he needed two to force an extra end. Could the man considered the best shot-maker in world come up with the goods in the biggest moment?

He couldn’t. And for the second Olympics in a row, the GB rink were left with a medal that they did not want.

“We wanted to win it for each other,” Hardie told BBC Sport.