Thursday, 10th of March 2022

PARALYMPIC WHEELCHAIR CURLING – ROUND ROBIN EXIT FOR GB ATHLETES

The ParalympicsGB wheelchair curling team (Gregor Ewan, Hugh Nibloe, David Melrose, Meggan Dawson-Farrell, Gary Smith) showed a great outing in Beijing and played some magnificent games on Paralympic ice. Unfortunately, sitting 6-4 at the end of the round robin, the Scots’ efforts were not quite enough to secure a play-off spot.

Despite falling to an opening defeat at the hands of Norway, positive signs in the ParalympicsGB team’s play predicted great things to come. The Scots immediately delivered on this promise in their next game when a cool, calm, and collected performance secured a magnificent victory over United States. With their confidence clearly boosted, the team went on to secure an outstandingly dominant win over Switzerland that did not leave anything to be desired. Next up were Slovakia who played a marvellous game and build up an advantage the ParalympicsGB curlers were not able to over despite a significantly improved performance in the second half. The Scottish side got back on winning ways when they pounced at the chance to capitalise against an error-prone Estonia team. However, table-toppers Sweden were up next and unfortunately, a spirited comeback after the break did not come off.

Things took a turn for the worse against Canada where on-ice proceedings were rendered secondary by an accident for David Melrose that ruled him out injured and forced a line-up change that saw alternate Gary Smith coming in. With the close-knit Scots notably – and understandably – shaken, the game tipped in Canada’s favour. A subsequent loss to Korea took the ParalympicsGB side out of play-off contention with two round robin games to go. The team looked in great shape against China, but the eventual gold medallist found an extra gear in the second half and that fixture too ended in defeat. However, the Paralympic campaign came to a conciliatory end for the Scots when a magnificent performance against Latvia saw them close their journey with a win.

Relive ParalympicsGB wheelchair curlers’ Beijing 2022 fixture by fixture. 🔽

SCOTS CLAIM SUCCESS OVER LATVIA IN THEIR FINAL PARALYMPIC GAME (GBR 8 – 4 LAT)

It was a game of two halves this morning with the ParalympicsGB team taking a huge lead early on but Latvia itching for a comeback in the second half. However, the Scots kept their nerve and did not falter, successfully ending their Beijing 2022 journey with an 8-4 victory.

Latvia got off to a shaky start and Agris Lasmans made an unusual call for his final throw, attempting the hit and roll rather than the tap-back, and spun his stone in the wrong direction to gift a single steal to GB. Remaining cool and calm, the Scots continued to play effortlessly and were lying three in End 2 with Latvia still to play the last stone. Lasmas went for the hit and stick to secure a point, however he misjudged the line and the shooter rolled off, meaning a three-points steal fell in GB’s favour, who now led by four points after just two ends played. Latvia used the advantage of having hammer in the third end to clench one point for the board; already having a stone nicely placed right on the button in a crowded house, Lasmans threw the last shot out of play to avoid any risks and keeping the shot stone safe. Crowning the GB team’s superior display in the first half, Gregor Ewan executed the long run-back with his last stone in the fourth end beautifully to promote a guard into the house and take a Latvian stone out, scoring them another three.

GB were strides ahead of their counterparts going into the second half, leading by seven points to one. A measure was needed in the fifth end to determine who was lying shot and when the point went GB’s way, Latvia were facing a mountain to climb. Ewan placed a guard nicely with his last stone in End 6 to force the one. Lasmas ran a British guard back to try catch a Latvian stone just off the 12 foot thin and promote it into the house, but he caught it at the wrong angle and only got the one point on the scoreboard.

Nevertheless, Latvia’s performance looked much improved and the team built confidence which showed in their play moving into the seventh end. A scrappy end for GB allowed the Latvians to steal two and reduce their deficit to four points. The encounter culminated in a tense final end as even marginal errors opened the pathway for Latvia to claw their way back in. Hugh Nibloe took the sting out of the game with a fantastic shot with his first throw, wiping out two opposition stones in the house, limiting the scoring opportunities for Latvia. When Polina Rozkova’s subsequent stone ended up shy of the house, there was no chance left for her side to take the points they needed. Hands were were shaken and GB took away their final win of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games.

GB FALTER IN SECOND HALF AS CHINA RUN OUT WINNERS (CHN 6 – 3 GBR)

The ParalympicsGB team went onto the ice for their penultimate encounter with their spirits high, but it wasn’t to be against defending champions China who decided the game 6-3 in their favour. A bright start saw the Scots lead at half time, but Wang Haitao’s squad found an extra gear and the match gradually slipped away from GB.

GB had the brighter start to the game, outscoring China’s single from End 1 with a two when Gregor Ewan capitalised on inaccuracies from his Chinese counterpart Wang Haitao and took the chance to draw the button for two. After forcing the one again in the third end, the Scots themselves were limited to a single score, but they maintained a slender lead at the break.

China got a better grip of the game going into the second half and regained the lead when Wang was served an open draw anywhere in the house for two. Wang subsequently executed an inch-perfect double take-out with his last stones to create the trickiest possible set up for Ewan whose shot would not come off and the Chinese secured a single steal. The hosts were now outplaying GB on 82 per cent accuracy to 64 and another steal of one went their way when Ewan’s final End 7 stone came up heavy. The stones would not fall in British favour in the final end and when only two points were still possible for GB, who needed at least three to keep the game alive, hands were shook without the last shots having to be made.

TOUGH LOSS TO KOREA HAS GB OUT OF PLAY-OFF CONTENTION (KOR 8 – 6 GBR)

A must-win fixture for ParalympicsGB, the team put up a great fight, but fortune favoured Korea in the decisive moment. The Scots brought themselves back into a tense game time and again, but eventually ran out of ends to complete the comeback. 

A tough start for GB saw Korea take an immediate hold of the game with a three from the first end while their own risky call to retaliate didn’t come off as Gregor Ewan’s stone jammed and only the one point went on the board. Another deuce for Korea had the Scots in more than one spot of bother, but a way back into the game materialised in End 4. Errors from Korea opened the door for Gregor Ewan to play an open hit for two that reduced the gap to two points at the break.

Korea came out swinging in the second half and lay three with two stones to go. Ewan played his last shot perfectly, removing two Korean stones and freezing the remaining one, turning the end on its head and stealing one when Jang Jaehyuk’s throw came up shy. GB got away with one in End 6 when Korea were lying two coming down with hammer, but again, Jang’s stone was shy and missed the chance for three.

The final stages of the game turned more tense than anyone would have possibly wanted. A chance for three was there in End 7 for GB, but Ewan’s shooter wouldn’t roll into the house when he tapped a stone back to count and only two points went on the British tally. One point down and up against hammer, GB had a tough task on their hands and despite a great fight, Korea came up with the perfect shot at the perfect time to secure the win.

DEFEAT TO CANADA SECONDARY AFTER MELROSE INJURY FORCES LINE-UP CHANGE (CAN 6 – 3 GBR)

Despite a bright start to the game, the ParalympicsGB team fell to a tough 6-3 defeat to Canada. On-ice proceedings were rendered secondary by an accident though when David Melrose had a fall from his chair – Melrose was taken to hospital for further medical assessment; he was conscious and was accompanied to the hospital by a British Curling team nurse and physio after receiving initial treatment at the venue.

GB came out to play and stole a point in the first end with some aggressive calls. The team doubled up immediately when Gregor Ewan judged his last End 2 throw nicely, drawing back 12 to lie covered by two stones, and Jon Thurston’s shot came up heavy and drifted through the house. They subsequently forced the one and looked in good stead, but the momentum changed when Melrose suffered his injury and had to be stretchered out of the arena.

Returning to the ice after an extended break as Melrose underwent treatment, the close-knit Scots looked visibly – and understandably – affected by proceedings. The encounter tipped in Canada’s favour with the North Americans recording the first multi-score with a deuce in End 6 and following it up with a two-points steal. Now well in control, Canada ran GB out of stones to turn the game around and secure a 6-3 win.

British Curling’s Executive Performance Director Nigel Holl offered an update on Melrose: ‘It was very unfortunate that just at the third end Dave caught the rubber running down the side of the sheet and just fell out of his chair, partly onto the ice, partly onto the surround, landing on what looked like his shoulder,’ Holl explained. ‘The good news is that Dave is in excellent medical hands. We have a top team of medics out here. He’s been taken for further assessment and is probably going to get an X-ray and some scans, but all’s good.’

‘The team are missing him, but they deserve big credit for the way they handled the situation. Those on the ice in managing to continue playing a very high quality game against a very good Canadian team and also the off ice team who got things sorted to ensure that Dave is in a good place. There was also some excellent medical help from the Canadians and the Americans. The Paralympic family coming together was really good. We’ve got great confidence in the medical support here in China and the people from ParalympicsGB and our team around him, so we’ll update later on.’

SECOND HALF COMEBACK DOESN’T COME OFF AGAINST SWEDEN (SWE 6 – 4 GBR)

A great second half performance wasn’t enough to complete the comeback against table-toppers Sweden who stay put with a 6-4 win. The ParalympicsGB team accumulated a big deficit in the first half and although they came back swinging after the break, taking points in every end, the gap proved too big to overcome. Sitting on 3-3, the next two games are must-wins if the squad want to be safe in the play-offs.

Great drawing accuracy from the Scots limited Sweden in the first end and the Scandinavians choose to blank and maintain hammer for End 2 where they used it to perfection – Viljo Pettersson-Dahl executed the nose hit on a British counter on back eight to score three and take the driving seat. Sweden were on a roll and increased their advantage with successive steals that took the scores to 6-0 at the break.

Coach Sheila Swan responded with a change in line-up, sending alternate Gary Smith out on the ice in place of Hugh Nibloe for the second half. The refreshed set-up finally got on the scoreboard with a single point from End 5 and followed up with one-point steals each in the subsequent two ends. The momentum was now with the GB team, but trailing by three and up against hammer, the task on hand was far from easy. Gregor Ewan did what he could with his last stone, drawing behind cover to lie three, but Dahl was up for the challenge and removed two stones to only give away the single point.

GB CAPITALISE ON ESTONIAN FLAWS TO STAY WITHIN PLAY-OFF CONTENTION (GBR 10 – 5 EST)

The ParalympicsGB wheelchair curlers took their chances against an error-prone Estonia side to secure a 10-5 win and keep their fate in their hands. Despite gaining and subsequently losing an early hold of the game, the British quartet kept their nerve and took the sting out of the game with a four-points score in End 5.

After not being quite able to capitalise on some errors from Estonia in the first end, GB turned up a gear in the second to take the lead with a three-points score, courtesy of a nicely judged tap-back by Gregor Ewan. Their advantage increased when Andrei Koitmae’s final stone came up heavy, marginally missing the line and giving away a steal of two in the third end, but Estonia responded and got themselves back into proceedings when Koitmae drew for three and reduced the gap to a single point at the break.

The British lead was restored immediately in End 5 when Ewan capitalised on a heavy shot from Koitmae and drew on back eight for four points. A single steal brought the GB team’s score into double figures and when they forced the one in End 7, Estonia were prompted to shake hands with an end to spare.

DEFEAT TO SLOVAKIA HAS GB WHEELCHAIR CURLERS IN ZUGZWANG (SVK 7 – 3 GBR)

The ParalympicsGB curling team sits 2-2 following a tough defeat to Slovakia. A steal just before the break forced them to try play catch up, but the comeback would not materialise as the final scores read 7-3. Notably, the Scots’ overall accuracy was higher for most of the game than in their previous fixtures, the Slovakian curlers making the difference with an excellent display.

Slovakia went into the match looking sharp with their overall accuracy sitting on more than 80 per cent during the first half. After two quiet opening ends Radoslav Duris’ team picked up the pace and followed a deuce up with a two-points steal to lead by four at the break. Despite outplaying their opponents on draw accuracy, the Paralympics GB squad were trailing on efficiency with take-outs and struggled to find the decisive edge over the Slovakians.

An encouraging half time talk from coach Sheila Swan kept the spirits up and the Scots clawed one back in the fifth end. Gregor Ewen subsequently challenged for a steal with a nicely judged draw on back eight behind cover, but Slovakia’s fourth Peter Zatko found a beautifully curling line down the other side of the sheet, the only consolidation for GB being that his hit was only enough for a single point. When Ewen’s final stone in the seventh end came up marginally heavy, only one point went on the British counter, meaning the team faced a mountain to climb in the last end with a three-points deficit up against hammer. No flaws showing in their game, Slovakia played down the stones and took the one point to secure victory.

OUTSTANIDNGLY DOMINANT PERFOMANCE BAGS BIG WIN OVER SWITZERLAND (GBR 15 – 1 SUI)

The ParalympicsGB team didn’t take their eyes off the prize this morning, playing an exceptional game from start to finish against Switzerland to take a commanding 15-1 win. Capitalising on errors from their opponents, the Scots were the only side on the board in the first half and comfortably brought their advantage home.

The game started as it meant to go on when Hugh Nibloe’s last stone in the first end set up a great opportunity for the team, navigating through the port to play the run-back on a Swiss counter on front four for a double take-out and to lie two. Laurent Kneubuehl had a nightmare with his final stone, crashing off his own guard and promoting a British stone onto back 12 (brutal!), four lying already for Gregor Ewan who missed the chance for five when his shot came up too heavy. A couple of mistakes on Switzerland’s side left room for GB to capitalise. They followed a steal of one up with another big end when superior stone placement earned them a five-points steal. Another point from End 4 meant the Scots were leading by 11 points to nil already at the break.

It took until End 5 for Switzerland to get on the board, but nerves were showing when Kneubuehl’s final stone for two came up shy and only the one point went on the Swiss tally. This was nothing to rival the huge points haul that GB had already accumulated. Dominating the sixth end, Ewan was left with an open hit and he stuck the shooter for four and the Swiss shook hands with two ends to spare.

COOL, CALM, AND COLLECTED GB SECURE VICTORY OVER USA (GBR 10 – 6 USA)

The ParalympicsGB curlers have successfully taken their first win of the Paralympic wheelchair curling competition with a 10-6 win over the United States. Playing cat and mouse for most of the game, the pendulum swung in the Scots’ favour in the final two ends.

Team USA looked to have the advantage in early ends, leading by three after two ends played. However, the momentum swung in the third end when GB played an outstanding set-up game and Matthew Thums’ final stone missed its target to leave Gregor Ewan an open draw for three. This lit some fire within Team USA and they retaliated by claiming a further two points in the fourth end, giving them a two-points lead at the break.

Going into the second half, the game was up for grabs and the ParalympicsGB squad started to chip away at their deficit, scoring a deuce in the fifth end compared to the US’ one point in End 6. The path cleared for GB after taking the lead for the first time in the encounter with a two-points score in the seventh end. In a tense eighth end, Ewan judged his last throw nicely to draw on front 12 and lie three, asking big questions of Thums who needed at least a point to keep the game alive and go to an extra end. When the stone missed its line and crashed off the guard, a steal of three went on the British tally and secured a 10-6 win.

POSITIVE SIGNS BUT NOT ENOUGH AS GB FALL TO OPENING DEFEAT (NOR 7 – 5 GBR)

The Paralympics GB curlers got their Beijing campaign off to a shaky start and a 7-5 defeat against a very accomplished-looking Norway side. Although Hugh Nibloe’s team showed some positive signs and temporarily seemed to get themselves back into the game, the Norwegians had the upper hand throughout and confidently controlled proceedings.

Norway had the upper hand early on and forced the one off GB who attempted to blank the first end but had the shooter spin back to bite the 12 foot. Gregor Ewen played a beautiful draw to lie covered in the second end, asking a tough question off Jostein Stordahl. The Norwegian skip was well up to the challenge though and responded with an outstanding angled hit that pushed the British stone just far enough and stuck the shooter to score two. A subsequent two-points steal had Norway well in control and it wasn’t until the fourth end that the British team managed to get them in some spots of bother. Ewen faced a must-make with his final shot and executed the draw nicely to score one and reduce the deficit to two at the break.

Thirds Hugh Nibloe and Ole Fredrik Syversen exchanged some great shots, but it was the GB team that got themselves in the better position. Stordahl faced three with his last throw and with his stone well heavy, two stolen points went on the British score. However, Norway were back in stride with precise stone placement while GB struggled to make the take-outs. Stordahl took the sting out of the game in End 7 with an excellent shot that troubled Ewen whose stone overcurled and gave away a steal of two. Trailing by three going into the final end, GB gave it a good shot but were held at bay by Norway and Stordahl in particular who limited them to the one point.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW AHEAD OF THE PARALYMPIC WHEELCHAIR CURLING COMPETITION

The Paralympic wheelchair curling competition will be taking place at the Beijing National Aquatics Centre from March 5 to 12. Team GB is sending a five-strong squad, entirely comprised of Scottish athletes, to Games to try continue Scotland’s current international curling success. Three of the five Team GB representatives are set to make their Paralympic debut at the Ice Cube in David Melrose and Meggan Dawson-Farrell as well as Gary Smith who came into the squad as a late replacement for the sadly injured Charlotte McKenna.

Having joined the British Curling programme in 2018, Melrose went on a meteoric rise and earned selection for the world championship the following year when Scotland took silver on home ice. Originally from Duns, Melrose was introduced to curling at Border Ice Rink in Kelso in 2017 when he was seeking to re-add athletic competition to his life. Having participated in sport all his able-bodied life, playing football and golf, wheelchair curling presented a new way to hone his self-discipline and drive, he says.

Dawson-Farrell has experience competing at major international competitions, albeit off ice. Having previously been a wheelchair racer, she represented Scotland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The Tullibody athlete made the switch over to curling in 2019, around the time of the world championships in Stirling, when performance coach Sheila Swan invited her to a few sessions. Favouring the team aspect of the winter sport, there was no looking back for Dawson-Farrell who instantly made the teams for the 2020 and 2021 world championships.

Previously a wheelchair basketball player, Smith discovered curling in 2015 when injury forced him to retire from basketball. His major inspiration came from Tom Killin, who was not only Smith’s first-ever basketball coach but would also go on to be a Paralympics GB wheelchair curler. When Killin asked him along to give it a try, Smith was immediately hooked and continued to practise the game vigorously. To this day, Smith liaises closely with Killin who continues to be an influence and a figure of support.

The squad is completed by Hugh Nibloe and Gregor Ewan who have both taken to Paralympic ice before.

Hailing from Stranraer, Nibloe is looking to continue the trend of curlers from the west coast town shining in Beijing. Since taking up the sport in 2012, when then Stranraer wheelchair coach Brian Park asked if he fancied having a go at curling during a game of dominoes, Nibloe has competed on the world stage several times. Among his career highlights stand world bronze from 2016 and world silver from 2019, as well as a Paralympic appearance at PyeongChang 2018.

After a brief stint away from the ice, Ewen is back with his sights set on Beijing. The Elgin athlete got his first taste of curling in 2007 at Moray Ice Rink and made his international debut two years later. Since then, Ewen has collected a host of major medals: Worlds silver in 2011 and bronze in 2017 stand out alongside a Paralympic bronze medal from Sochi 2014. After missing out on a podium spot in PyeongChang, Ewen is determined to return to the rostrum when he contests his third Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Four of the five athletes, Smith the exception, represented Scotland together at the world championships last October in Beijing. Having lost in the quarter-final stage on that occasion, the squad will be seeking retaliation when they return to the Ice Cube for the Paralympics. Besides the Team GB curlers, there are more athletes to keep an eye out for in Beijing …

Mark Ideson (CAN)

Mark Ideson took up wheelchair curling in 2010 after being involved in a helicopter crash. Hardly four years later at the 2014 Sochi Games he won Paralympic gold. The skip has been the face of Canadian wheelchair curling in the past decade, following up the 2014 gold with silver at PyeongChang 2018. He has also been on the squad for Canada’s best world championship performances in recent years, helping them to gold in 2013 and overcoming a six-year Worlds medal drought to take silver in 2020. Ideson will be accompanied in Beijing by fellow former Paralympic champions Ina Forrest and Dennis Thiessen – following Curl Canada’s disappointing showing at the Olympics, eyes will be fixed on the wheelchair curlers to bail them out.

Wang Haitao (CHN)

China made history at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, not only securing their first gold medal in wheelchair curling but also their first overall at a Winter Paralympics. Having skipped the Chinese team, Wang Haitao was an integral part of this success and is back in 2021 to spearhead the title defence on home ice. Wang has been representing China at Worlds since 2015, coming ever so close to the title twice before it was third time lucky in 2019. Competing against Scotland in the final, Wang threw a perfect take-out in the crucial stages of the match to secure gold and repeated the medal feat against Sweden at the 2021 Worlds.

Polina Rozkova (LAT)

Polina Rozkova has been a key figure in Latvia’s rise on the international wheelchair curling scene. Skipping the Latvian rink, she has guided her team to securing promotion from the B-division to the world championships and led the Baltic state to qualify for their first Winter Paralympics at Beijing 2022. Rozkova is no stranger to adversity, facing challenges such as a lack of ice time to practice in Latvia. Nevertheless, she and her team showed incredible resilience since making their debut on the world stage in 2019 and registered wins against the likes of triple Paralympic champions Canada among others.

Ole Fredrik Syversen (NOR)

Ole Fredrik Syversen is more than just the vice-skip to the Norwegian squad. Considered as the “glue guy”, Syversen is always in place to pick his teammates up in moments of adversity and to fire them up in competition. He kept the spirits high during the nerve-racking final at PyeongChang 2018 to continue to bring the fight to the Chinese team – Norway would eventually lose out on gold, but nevertheless secured the Scandinavian nation’s first Paralympic wheelchair curling medal. Syversen first secured a place on an international podium when winning silver at the 2016 Worlds, a feat he followed up a year later, that time for the gold medal.

 

Kristina Ulander (SWE)

Kristina “Kicki” Ulander heads to Beijing aiming to get Sweden back on the Paralympic wheelchair curling podium for the first time in 12 years. The Scandinavians took bronze at both the discipline’s debut Games in 2006 and the subsequent 2010 Vancouver Paralympics but had to travel home without silverware since. Ulander herself secured her first major international medal at the 2013 world championship and has recently been in great form to repeat this feat at the 2020 and the 2021 Worlds. Vice-skipping the Swedish rink, Ulander will play a decisive role in the bid to return to the rostrum.

Matthew Thums (USA)

The role as Team USA skip seems to come naturally to Matthew Thums. Making his debut in the position at the 2020 World Wheelchair Curling B Championship, he guided his squad to gold straight away and secured promotion to the Worlds. Skipping once more at the subsequent 2021 world championships, Thums and his team reached the semi-final stage and, despite losing out to eventual champions China, bagged a ticket to Beijing 2022. Thums straightforward approach of ‘Eat. Sleep. Curl. Repeat.’ has proven to work for him and he will be looking to keep the momentum going when making his Paralympic debut in China.