Jones opens Games with win over South Korea, Gushue beats Norway in men’s play

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This article was published 10/02/2022 (1679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BEIJING – Jennifer Jones ran the table in her last appearance at the Winter Olympics.

For her long-awaited return to the Games, she picked up where she left off.

Jones opened her round-robin schedule Thursday night with a 12-7 victory over South Korea’s EunJung Kim at the Ice Cube.

The Canada skip, who won Olympic gold at the Sochi Games in 2014, pulled away with a three-ender in the seventh to break a 6-6 tie. Jones iced the win with a steal of two in the 10th end.

“That’s typical Team Jones fashion I think,” said vice Kaitlyn Lawes. “Usually we bring it down to the wire, so what a way to start the Olympics.”

Earlier, Brad Gushue had options for closing out his round-robin game against Norway.

Tied with hammer in the 10th end, the Canadian skip could have made a hit for the victory but instead chose to make a game-winning draw.

And why not, since his draw weight was in top form. Gushue found a piece of the button with his last throw for a 6-5 victory over Norway’s Steffen Walstad.

“If Brad’s got to touch the four-foot to win a game, I like our chances,” said Canada vice Mark Nichols.

The final end was set up by two perfect tick shots by Canadian lead Geoff Walker. Walstad couldn’t apply pressure and settled for a shot stone on the side of the eight-foot ring.

“If I can’t draw the eight-foot, I shouldn’t be here,” Gushue said. “That’s my attitude. That’s my forte. That’s what I’m best at.

“If I throw it close, the guys are going to handle it down there.”

Canada shot 92 per cent as a team and Gushue finished at 99 per cent, making all seven of his draws.

The Canadians (2-0), who beat Denmark’s Mikkel Krause 10-5 a day earlier, shared first place with Sweden’s Niklas Edin, a 7-4 winner over American John Shuster.

The only other unbeaten men’s skip, Great Britain’s Bruce Mouat (1-0), opened with a 7-5 win over Italy’s Joel Retornaz. Russia’s Sergey Glukhov scored four in the ninth end for a 7-4 victory over China’s Ma Xiuyue.

Gushue, from St. John’s, made a double-bump for two in the eighth end for a 5-3 lead. Walstad pulled even with an impressive angle-raise takeout in the ninth, but Gushue’s side controlled the 10th.

Walstad finished at 85 per cent and his foursome threw at 87 per cent overall.

Gushue and Nichols won Olympic gold in 2006 at the Turin Games in Italy. This is the first Olympic appearance for Walker and second Brett Gallant.

Norway booked its Beijing ticket by winning the Olympic qualifying event in December.

Vice-skip Torger Nergaard is playing in his sixth Winter Games. He made his Olympic debut as an alternate on Pal Trulsen’s team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

In the late women’s games, Great Britain’s Eve Muirhead dumped defending champion Anna Hasselborg of Sweden 8-2.

China’s Han Yu dropped a 7-5 decision to Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni and American Tabitha Peterson beat Denmark’s Madeleine Dupont 7-5.

Switzerland and the United States (both 2-0) were unbeaten along with Jones, from Winnipeg, at 1-0.

“Just went out there and soaked up the atmosphere,” Jones said. “Sliding over those Olympic rings is just honestly a dream come true.

“It’s a thrill of a lifetime and I wish everybody could do it.”

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Denmark, Great Britain and Sweden were 1-1 ahead of Japan, South Korea, Russia (all 0-1) and China (0-2).

Canada was shut out of the Olympic team medals for the first time at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

John Morris and Lawes won mixed doubles gold that year in the discipline’s Olympic debut. Morris and Rachel Homan did not make the playoffs this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2022.

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.