Canada edge to 4-3 victory against China in thriller
Secures country’s fourth win in blue riband event
Canada have returned to the summit of wheelchair curling, edging out the reigning champions, China, 4-3 to earn their fourth gold medal in this blue riband event at the Winter Paralympics. A tense encounter was decided by the very last shot of the match as skipper Mark Ideson struck a perfectly judged hit and roll to take a solitary, definitive point in the eighth end.
Both teams had entered the final in impressive form. The only defeat for China had come at the hands of the Canadians in the round robin stage, with the North Americans themselves unbeaten. In front of a full house in the Cortina curling arena, and with loud partisan support for both sides, it was a match of nip and tuck.
One key factor in the outcome was determined almost at the off. As the rivals took turns to knock out each other’s draws in the opening end, the house was standing empty as Ideson rolled up to take the final stone. Instead of playing for a solitary point, however, he opted to send his stone out of bounds, blanking and retaining the hammer into a second end. This limited Chinese options at a stroke and turned out to be a crucial tactic.
