Curling

Ed Reinke/AP

MICHAEL WILBON: Understanding Curling No Easy Task

The Washington Post

Canadian Women Eke Out Gold
As expected, the Canadian women's team won the gold medal in women's curling, but it was far from easy as Denmark put up a fight before falling, 7-5. It was the first medal in any sport for the Danes. Sweden beat Britain, 10-6, in the bronze-medal match.

U.S. Women Finish in Tie for Fifth

U.S. Stuns Japan on Last Shot, but Loses in Semis

Robert F. Bukaty/AP

The U.S. men's curling team saw its gold-medal hopes vanish quickly Feb. 13, as it was routed by Canada, 7-1, in the semifinals. The United States advanced to the final four earlier when team captain Tim Somerville's perfectly placed tap on the final shot of the game gave the Americans a 5-4 victory over Japan. Somerville's dramatic shot sent Japanese team captain Makota Tsuruga (pictured) to his knees in tears.

FRIDAY: U.S. Men Win Two, Stay in Contention

Dennis Drenner For The Post

Curling Proponents Look for Sweep
Those who follow curling in the United States realize their sport will be the butt of some jokes at the Olympics. At the same time, they are hoping to snag the interest of U.S. television viewers when curling becomes an Olympic medal sport for the first time. At right, Tom Brooke, president of the U.S. Curling Association, demonstrates the technique of "sweeping" — a highly strategic part of curling — on the kitchen floor of his home in Parkton, Md.

Canada's Other Pastime Sweeps a Wide Swath
Many in Canada seriously regard curling as the country's true national sport. At the 1996 world curling championships, the Canadians made believers of the world, sweeping through the tournament with awesome cool, beating men's and women's rinks from Scotland — curling's ancestral home — and 10 other countries, including the United States.

	Curling

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