Who are the favorites and frontrunners in Olympic curling?
Unsurprisingly, Canada is the team to beat in Pyeongchang.
Team USA faces quite the competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The best the US has ever finished in Olympic curling was a bronze medal in 2006 in the men’s tournament. Team USA finished 9 and 10 in the men’s tournament during their last two appearances in 2014 and 2010, respectively. In the women’s tournament, Team USA has never placed, finishing 10, 10, and 8 in 2014, 2010 and 2006. The mixed doubles tournament is new to the Olympics, and as such, Team USA has no Olympic track record there.
History may not be the best indication of Team USA’s chances at medaling in curling, though. The US qualified in the top five, out of 10, in all three competitions, in third place for the men’s tournament and fifth for the women’s and mixed doubles. Moreover, Team USA is bringing an interesting mix of veteran and rookie rinks to Pyeongchang.
The men’s team is led by four-time Olympian John Shuster, with two fellow two-time Olympians (John Landsteiner, ’14, and Joe Polo, ’06) and Olympic debutants Tyler George and Matt Hamilton. Hamilton, at least, will get something of a warm-up in the mixed doubles competition, which precedes the men’s tournament and in which he’ll compete with his sister Becca Hamilton.
Becca Hamilton will also compete in the women’s tournament, on a squad of Olympic rookies featuring Tabitha Peterson, Aileen Geving and Cory Christensen led by two-time national champ Nina Roth.
Still, it will be a mighty challenge for Team USA to take down Canada. The presumed gold medal favorites in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, Canada is looking to add to its illustrious curling medal cabinet.
Men’s Tournament
Not only did the Canadian men’s team take home the top prize at the 2017 World Curling Championship, the reigning Olympic gold medalists have won three straight gold medals and two silvers before. Which is to say, they’ve finished in the top two spots as long as curling has been an Olympic. And their competition has never been consistent, Norway and Switzerland were close competitors in the early years, through Vancouver 2010, but Great Britain and Sweden came in silver and bronze, respectively. At the 2017 world championship, Sweden placed second and Switzerland third.
Canada is, unsurprisingly, the clear favorite for the gold medal in Pyeongchang, with Sweden expected to take home silver and Team USA winning bronze.
Women’s Tournament
Like their compatriots, the Canadian women’s national team won the 2017 World Curling Champion, where they became the first team to go through a women’s world championship undefeated, and are defending gold medal winners. They also won silver in 2010, bronze in 2006 and 2002, and gold in 1998 — making them medalists for as long as curling has been an Olympic sport. Canada’s strongest competition has always been Sweden, with whom they alternate gold and silver medals. (Sweden won silver in 2014 and gold in 2010 and 2006.) While Sweden didn’t place at the world championships, losing to Scotland in the bronze medal match, they’re still expected to be competitive at the Olympics.
Which is to say, Canada is your gold medal favorite, with Sweden (and Switzerland) in the mix for silver and bronze.
Next: 15 things to know and love about curling
Mixed Doubles
The mixed doubles competition has no history at the Olympics, but we can look at 10 years of world championships, which have been dominated by Switzerland and Russia, with occasional gold medal appearances by Hungary. Switzerland won in ’17, with Canada taking silver and China, bronze. Perhaps surprisingly, Canada is not expected to place at the Olympics.
Switzerland, Russia and China are the frontrunners for gold, silver and bronze at Pyeongchang 2018, respectively.