Scotland’s Eve Muirhead claimed a record fourth world junior title yesterday as she led her team to a 10-3 victory over Canada in the women’s final of the World Junior Curling Championships in Perth, Scotland.
Muirhead, alongside team-mates Anna Sloan, Vicky Adams and Rhiann Macleod, dominated from the start, with the team scoring a two in the first end and just missing out on the third with Muirhead’s final stone rolling out of the house.
Canada’s Trish Paulsen, Kari Kennedy, Kari Paulsen and Natalie Yanko tried to fight back, with the teams swapping single points in the next two ends, but, in the fourth, when she faced four Scottish counters, Paulsen was light with her draw and gave up a steal of three to go 1-6 down.
After this, Canada had a mountain to climb, and the result was all but sealed when Scotland stole a further two points in the seventh when Paulsen’s final draw sailed on past two Scottish counters, for a 10-2 lead to Scotland.
Canada went on to score one in the eighth end, but couldn’t continue their form, conceding shortly after.
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Curling: Muirhead has to settle for silver
Curling: Heartbreak for youngster Muirhead
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Speaking after the game, Muirhead said: “That was a great game for us, we all played well and made no mistakes out there and gave them no chance. That’s what happens when you do that, you can put the pressure on.
“We knew we had to come out strong, Canada are a great team. We knew we had to do that to get the win. We gave them nothing and that’s the way we wanted to play. We didn’t miss anything, we placed the stones exactly where we wanted them”.
Speaking of her fourth title, she said: “To win it four times feels pretty good, each time feels just as good as every other time, but this is special.
“I’m finished with juniors now, but I don’t think I could have achieved any more in my junior career than to win the world title four times.”
A tearful Paulsen said: “We just didn’t play our greatest game, Scotland came out and played very well. I missed a few key shots and it just didn’t go our way. But I’ve felt proud of every game we won.”
Elsewhere, Russia’s Anna Sidorova and her team of Galina Arsenkina, Viktoria Moiseeva and Ekaterina Antonova beat Sweden’s defending champions Sofia Mabergs, Anna Huhta and sisters Jonna and Sara McManus 9-3 to claim bronze.
Sidorova said: “This is good but we can still do better, and I hope next year we will show that we can. That was a bit better than the semi-final. It’s good to win bronze because it’s my first medal, but next year I’ll do better, I hope”.
Next year’s World Junior Curling Championships will take place in Östersund, Sweden from March 3-11. Scotland, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and the Czech Republic have all qualified for the event. USA, Japan and France face challenges and regional qualification events to make it to Sweden.
Junior Women’s Final Ranking
1. Scotland 9-2 GOLD
2. Canada 8-5 SILVER
3. Russia 8-4 BRONZE
4. Sweden 6-6
5. USA 5-5
6. Switzerland 5-5
7. Norway 4-5
8. Japan 3-6
9. Czech Republic 3-6
10. France 1-8
Jessica Whittington, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
