Bruce Mouat fights tears on BBC as Team GB suffer Winter Olympics curling agony | Other | Sport

The Team GB men’s curling team choked back tears live on the BBC just moments after suffering more gold medal match heartbreak. Bruce Mouat’s squad were made to settle for silver at a second successive Winter Olympics with a 9-6 defeat to Canada. The world champions defeated Switzerland in an epic semi-final but from a promising position after eight ends in the final, could not get over the line on Saturday night at the Cortina Olympic Curling Stadium. It comes four years after missing out on gold to Sweden in Beijing, with Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie having been looking to become the first British Olympic men’s curling squad since 1924 to top the podium.

Team GB needed to score two points in the final end to remain in the match, and required three to win. But they could not pull off a magical comeback and Canada, who were accused of cheating in a scandal earlier at the Milan-Cortina Games, have now won their seventh gold in this event. This is their first men’s gold since 2014. It is a record-extending 14th medal overall while Team GB have amassed seven.

The two teams were level after seven ends and Great Britain had the hammer but a rousing effort from Canada in the final three ends, including the ninth when they took three, sparked jubilant celebrations at the end.

Dejected skip Mouat said to the BBC: “I’m just a bit in shock. We felt we were probably the better team there but yeah… I don’t know what to say.” He then needed a minute to compose himself and stop himself from crying live on air.

A visibly upset Hardie also fought back tears as he reacted: “That’s why we wanted to win it – for each other. The pain from four years ago was that much we thought, ‘Let’s go and give it another go.’ We gave ourselves the chance and did so much wrk to try and redeem ourselves and unfortunately, we’ve not got there again.”

Mouat returned to the microphone and added: “I think that’s the incredible thing we’ll take away from this week, regardless of the result. The amount of people that have come out to support us and message us from back home, the boys and I love our sport.

“We want people to participate in our sport and come and join our sport and if we can take anything away from this week, as well as the silver medal, being able to inspire people to want to participate is an achievement in itself I hope.”

BBC host Clare Balding added: “So hard to watch. Just so hard. You can tell how much Grant and Bruce care and how much they’d voiced it, ‘this is what we’re here for, we’re here to win gold.’ So close to glory. It was a terrific effort from Team GB.”

While Jennifer Dodds, a gold medallist for Britain in the women’s curling in 2022, said: “Gutted for them. They haven’t shied away from the fact that was their goal. For the last eight years they said they wanted Olympic gold and you could tell by their emotions in that interview.

“They were so close. They were in such a good position. It was just that ninth end. If you asked them, they’d probably want to replay that hundreds of times. But I’m so proud of the guys. This week has not been easy for them, 5-4 record, things had to go their way and they did. I’m so proud of them fighting through it.

“That semi-final was incredible and even tonight, the fight in the 10th end, was amazing. They’ve been together for nine years and it’s incredible to watch their journey together. The gold was the only one they were missing and that is going to be what hurts the most. They’ve had two chances and got two silvers. Extremely proud of them for getting two silvers, that’s very, very hard to do, but I know the boys wanted gold.”