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From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow
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U.S. steal victory over Japan in dramatic last end
(Kazakoshi Park Arena, Karuizawa Town)
USA 5-4 JPN
Men Semi Final 18:00-
(Kazakoshi Park Arena, Karuizawa Town)
CAN 7-1 USA
SUI 8-7 NOR
Women Semi Final 14:00-
(Kazakoshi Park Arena, Karuizawa Town)
CAN 6-5 GBR
DEN 7-5 SWE
The U.S. men's curling snatched victory at the last Saturday morning, winning 5-4 against Japan in a dramatic final end before a packed Kazakoshi Park Arena.
The Americans took control of the game in the sixth end, taking three points to give them a 4-2 lead. But the Japanese fought back, tying the game in the eighth end.
With the scores still level going into the final end, there was no room for error on the part of U.S. skip Tim Somerville.
Realising he could not take out the Japanese stones for a win, his only hope was to nudge an American stone nearer to the tee. With his final stone, Somerville pulled off a perfect tap, and danced on the ice in celebration.
The dejected Japanese were only too aware that the margin of their defeat was just millimeters.
The win takes the U.S. into a semi-final game against Canada on Saturday night. Norway meet Switzerland in the other semi-final.
Canada, Switzerland advance to men's curling final
Canada trounced the United States 7-1 on Saturday in the semifinals of the men's curling tournament of the Nagano Olympic Winter Games and will meet Switzerland in the final Sunday.
Canada, skipped by Mike Harris, got off to a good start when they got two points in the first end at Kazakoshi Park Arena in the summer resort town of Karuizawa.
By the break after five ends, the Canadians were up 5-0 sealed the victory when they stole another two points after the intermission.
''I thought we played well in the first three ends. The second end was a bit of a surprise when they missed their open hit. I think it was more a case of us playing rather well than the U.S. playing poorly,'' said Harris.
In the eighth end, the U.S. finally managed to get on the scoreboard to make it 7-1 but it was too little too late.
Meanwhile, Switzerland qualified for the final after they beat Norway in a tight and even match.
Skipped by Patrick Huerlimann, the Swiss team led 3-1 after four rounds and went up 5-2 after six rounds. Following the sixth round, the teams exchanged dueces until the ninth end. There, Norway tied the game when Huerlimann missed two stones.
In the final end, Norway got the front stones they needed to hide their stones in the house. With one Swiss stone in the outer ring, the Norwegian skip left his stone short of the Swiss stone and Huerlimann did not have to play his last stone.
''It was a very close game until the last stone. Of course I am very dissapointed. It was a good team that beat us,'' said Norwegian skip Eigil Ramsfjell. (Kyodo News)
Canada, Denmark to meet in women's curling final
Two-time world champion Canada edged Britain 6-5 in an extra end Saturday to set up a final meeting with Denmark, the semifinal winner over Sweden, in the Olympic women's curling competition in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture.
Canadian skip Sandra Schmirler guided her stone a couple of centimeters nearer to the center than Britain's nearest in the extra end for the win at Kazakoshi Park Arena after the British squad scored one to tie the game 5-5 in the 10th end.
Denmark, which won the bronze medal at the world championships last April, scored steadily in the middle ends and held off Sweden's late rally to claim a 7-5 victory in nine ends over its Scandinavian rival.
The final and bronze-medal matches take place at this summer resort town Sunday. (Kyodo News)
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Copyright 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun