Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Canada vanquished, Norberg on track

Agony for Canada as Shannon Kleibrink's Calgary foursome lose emphatically to an extremely effective Swiss squad skipped by 2002 Olympic silver medallist Mirjam Ott.

The weight of carrying Team Canada on her shoulders all week might have finally worn Kleibrink down. She shot only 66 per cent – to Ott's well-earned 88 – and she faced tough situations – as usual – much of the time.

In the end, it was a missed guard that burned Kleibrink in the eighth. Instead of a strong steal opportunity she opened the door to a Swiss deuce... and it was all her doing. Unfair, to be sure, but this is sport.

On to the bronze medal game for the Canadians. There's little time to grieve over what might have been.

Sweden's Anette Norberg will meet the Swiss for Olympic gold. Norberg defeated Norway's Dordi Nordby by a close 5-4 count in an enthralling match, and will look to cement her team's place as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Move over Elisabet Gustafson – who is here with Swedish TV, by the way – there could be a new sheriff in town.

The men take to the ice tonight... and the first song the deejay is spinning on the in-house system right now is London Calling by The Clash. A sign of things to come for Great Britain's David Murdoch, perhaps? He and his lads take on Markku Uussipaavalniemi and the streaking Finns, while Team Canada's Russ Howard et al battle the USA's Pete Fenson.

Stay tuned.

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