GB women shock curling world champions Canada

ByRichard Winton

BBC Sport in Cortina

Team GB's women curlers kickstarted their campaign with a superb first victory of these Winter Olympics, beating medal contenders Canada 7-6.

After surrendering meekly in their opening two matches against China and South Korea, few fancied Rebecca Morrison's rink to right the wrongs against the world champions.

However, the British team raised their game significantly, with Morrison in particular making the shots that she was missing earlier in the competition, to overcome a Canadian side who looked fragile after their loss to the United States on Friday.

"It just feels absolutely amazing to go out there and get our first win," skip Sophie Jackson told BBC Sport.

"Becca played absolutely fantastically - we all did - but it's great to see Becca when she's like that and I'm sure she'll be on a roll now," Jackson added.

Britain's men also posted a victory on Saturday, responding immediately to their defeat against Italy by beating the Czech Republic 7-4.

It would have been more comprehensive for Bruce Mouat's rink had it not been for several outrageous shots from Czech skip Lukas Klima's box of tricks.

However, the world champions ultimately secured a victory that takes their record to three wins and one defeat and leaves them well-placed to reach the last four.

"We were in control but we couldn't really get away," Mouat told BBC Sport. "We just had to stick with it and we felt pretty comfortable."

Like in the women's round-robin, six wins from the nine matches should be enough to clinch a semi-final place.

The men will face Germany (08:05 GMT) and Switzerland (18:05) on Sunday, while the women will look to continue their unlikely revival against another fancied rink, Sweden (13:05).

ByJess Anderson

BBC Sport journalist in Cortina

British trio Tabby Stoecker, Freya Tarbit and Amelia Coltman missed out on the medals on Saturday, but all finished inside the top 10 in a stacked field.

Having watched compatriot Matt Weston win a historic gold on Friday the three women were unable to replicate that success and a lack of consistency across the four heats proved costly.

Former trapeze artist Stoecker, who won World Cup bronze last season and was perhaps GB's strongest medal hope in the women's event, finished highest in fifth with 3:50.48.

Tarbit impressed in run three to finish seventh with 3:50.80 while Coltman put down her quickest run of the four in the final heat to boost herself up to ninth with 3:51.32.

All three were making their Games debut while it is the first time Team GB have qualified three women in the Olympic skeleton event.

It was a dominant showing from Austria's Janine Flock, who produced four slick runs to take gold while Germans Susanne Kreher and Jacqueline Pfeifer took silver and bronze.

Austria have never had a woman win an Olympic skeleton medal and 36-year-old Flock's gold comes after heartbreak in Sochi, Pyeongchang - where she missed out to Lizzy Yarnold - and Beijing.

Team GB still have the opportunity to pursue further silverware on Sunday as they take part in the mixed team event, new for Milan-Cortina 2026.

6-22 February

Milan-Cortina