Big 8-3 victory over Sweden in eighth round-robin game
5-3 record, tied for third with United States
Win over Canada in final game would secure semifinal spot
The South Korean women's national curling team has earned a shot at reaching the semifinals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
If they defeat fifth-place Canada (4 wins, 3 losses) in their final preliminary round game, which will be held at 10:05 p.m. on the 19th Korea Standard Time, they will secure a semifinal berth awarded to the top four teams.
Ranked No. 3 in the world, South Korea, composed of skip Kim Eunji, third Kim Minji, second Kim Suji, lead Seol Yeeun, and fifth Seol Yeeji, cruised to an 8-3 victory in just seven ends over world No. 4 Sweden in their eighth round-robin game at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on the 18th.
South Korea improved to 5 wins and 3 losses, moving into a tie for third place with the United States behind Sweden (6 wins, 2 losses) and Switzerland (5 wins, 2 losses). If South Korea beats Canada, they will advance to the semifinals on their own. If they lose, they will have to wait for the results of other games. If two teams are tied for fourth place, the team that won their head-to-head game in the preliminary round will advance to the semifinals. If three or more teams are tied, the rankings will be determined based on the results of the games played among those teams. At the Pyeongchang Olympics, the women's team won South Korea's only silver medal.
Korean women's curling players are waving to the crowd after defeating Sweden 8-3 in the eighth round-robin game at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Cortina (Italy) = Yonhap News
A hard-fought game had been expected. Since the 1998 Nagano Games, Sweden has reached the podium in all but one of the seven Olympics through the previous 2022 Beijing Games, missing out only at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Sweden is the most decorated country in women's curling, having won gold at the 2006 Turin, 2010 Vancouver, and 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
However, South Korea earned a relatively comfortable win. Sweden, having already clinched a spot in the semifinals, showed a lack of concentration. Starting with the hammer in the first end, South Korea used a precise shot by Kim Minji to cluster three stones in the house, and then Kim Eunji, with the final stone, knocked out Sweden's second counter to score a big three points. Riding the momentum, South Korea added one more point in the second end, when they did not have the hammer.
Sweden wobbled even more. Skip Anna Hasselborg attempted a double takeout with her seventh stone in the third end to remove two South Korean stones lying on the button, but her aim was off and she failed to capitalize. South Korea took advantage of the mistake to score two, pulling away to a 6-0 lead. Facing a deflated Swedish side, South Korea added another two points in the fourth end to stretch the gap to 8-0, effectively putting the game out of reach.
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