The sound of cow bells sounded out in a celebratory chorus as Switzerland dispatched Sweden 8-4 to claim their second consecutive European curling title in Lohja, Finland on Saturday (23 November).
The Swiss, led by seasoned skip Silvana Tirinzoni, were clinical throughout the course of the two-hour final at the Kisakallio Sports Institute.
Starting with the hammer, they opened for two points before seizing on a steal of one to take a 3-0 lead.
After blanking the third end, Sweden had the opportunity to draw for two in the fourth, but a wayward shot by skip Anna Hasselborg meant they were only able to score one point
It was an opportunity the Swedes would come to rue, as Swiss fourth Alina Paetz responded with a sublime hit-and-roll for two points in the fifth end to sit 5-1 up at the break.
With a mountain to climb, Sweden tried to find a way back into the game but a decisive last stone by Paetz in the seventh end for two points to go 7-2 all but sealed the deal for the Swiss.
Sweden responded in kind in the eighth end with a take-out for two but after the Swiss added one final point in the ninth to take the score to 8-4, the overwhelming sense the fight was done won out prompting Hasselborg to concede the match and accept the silver.
Following their unbeaten run in Lohja, the Swiss are now 22 games undefeated at the European championships having won their title last year also without dropping a match.
Victory brings Switzerland’s total number of European women’s titles up to nine.
Yesterday, Scotland defeated Italy 6-4 to claim the bronze in the women’s contest while Norway bested Switzerland 7-4 in the men’s event.
Later, Scotland’s men will target a fourth consecutive continental title as they take on Germany in the gold medal match streaming live on the Olympic Channel via Olympics.com. More details can be found here.