[Olympics] Women's Curling Needs 3 Wins for Direct Semifinal Berth... Facing Strong Teams One After Another

On the afternoon of the 14th, at the National Aquatic Center in Beijing, China, Team Kim from Korea celebrated their 10-5 victory over Japan in the 6th match of the women's curling league at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The women's national curling team of four, "Team Kim" (Gangneung City Hall), who participated in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, rekindled their hopes of advancing to the semifinals by achieving an unexpected big win against Japan. Their 10-5 victory over Japan on the 14th served as a confidence booster. Japan (4 wins, 2 losses) had been one of the smoothly advancing teams in this tournament alongside Switzerland (5 wins, 1 loss). After being on the brink of elimination following a loss to the United States, Team Kim is aiming for a turnaround by defeating Japan.

Korea's record became 3 wins and 3 losses, placing them in a tie for 5th place with the United Kingdom and Canada. Japan is tied for 2nd place with the United States and Sweden, each holding a 4-2 record. Korea's advancement to the top 4 will be determined by the results of the remaining three matches on the 16th and 17th. In women's curling, 10 countries compete in a full round-robin, and the top 4 teams proceed to the tournament to decide the medalists. Only by reaching the semifinals can a team expect to win a medal. The matches against Switzerland and Denmark on the morning and afternoon of the 16th are another critical hurdle. Switzerland, ranked 2nd in the world, is effectively demonstrating their strongest lineup. Denmark (2 wins, 4 losses) is an opponent that must be defeated.

On the 17th, the world number 1 ranked Sweden awaits. This is the team that defeated Korea in the final of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics four years ago. If Korea wins both matches on the 16th, they can prepare for the final game with ease. If they win only one match, they must defeat Sweden to have a chance at the semifinals. Head coach Lim Myung-seop said, "If we win all three remaining matches, we can advance to the semifinals on our own merit, so we will carefully analyze our remaining opponents, including Switzerland."

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