Beijing, Feb. 3 (BNA): World champion Britain scored a remarkable victory over its Canadian counterpart in a tough competition held at the National Aquatics Center today, Thursday, to continue its winning start in the mixed doubles competitions.
After beating Sweden in their opening match on Wednesday, Britons Bruce Mowat and Jennifer Dodds faced another stern test against the Canadians but prevailed 6-4 after their opponents failed to take a stone advantage at the last end.
“I think it was a step up from yesterday,” Dodds said. “If anyone said at the start of the competition we would be 2-0 up against Sweden and Canada – who are great competitors – I think anyone in the field would say they would accept that.”
Canada’s John Morris, the first gold medal winner in the mixed doubles in Pyeongchang, and Rachel Homann will have a chance to get their title defense back on track when they face Norway in their second qualifying match later on Thursday, Reuters reported.
Italians Stefania Constantini and Amos Musaner started their career in the first leg with a 8-4 victory over the United States and will face Switzerland in the second round.
The United States, who beat Australia in their opening match, had the opportunity to tie the score 6-6 at the eighth end but Vicki Bersinger’s ball went too far. They will be looking to correct the score against Norway at a later date.
“We played a lot better in the second half of that match, which I think is mentally reassuring for Chris and me, so we’re going to move this half to the next game…” Bersinger said.
Australia will have to wait to score their first win on the ice at the Olympics after narrowly losing their second successive 6-5 defeat to hosts China.
Tahali Jill’s stunning three-point shot equalized the equalizer to give Australia a fighting chance and had the chance to strike the ball for victory but wasted the shot by the narrowest of margins.
Sweden rebounded from its opening loss to Britain, scoring two points each in the seventh and eighth finishes in a 7-4 win over the Czech Republic before facing China in the evening session.