Conceding early! Men's curling Olympic qualification: China defeats Japan 9-4, successfully advancing to the Milan Winter Olympics.

On December 12th Beijing time, the men's curling Olympic qualification event for the Milan Winter Olympics began. The intense clash between China and Japan just finished, both fighting for the last Olympic berth. China exploded with 4 points in the ninth end to beat Japan 9-4, achieving revenge and clinching the final spot on the last train. It was extremely challenging, but the team’s dedication was rewarded, and everyone was delighted, beaming with smiles!

A total of 8 teams participated in this round-robin tournament, each playing 7 rounds. The top three teams competed for the two remaining Olympic spots. China dominated the round robin, finishing first and earning two chances to qualify for the Olympics. Japan finished third and only had one opportunity to compete for an Olympic spot!

Because China suffered a heavy 4-9 defeat to the second-place USA in the battle for an Olympic spot, the USA claimed the penultimate Olympic ticket. China had to settle for competing against third-place Japan for the last remaining Olympic berth!

Therefore, this match was a do-or-die battle for both China and Japan; the winner would secure the final ticket to the Milan Winter Olympics. However, China lost 6-9 to Japan in the round robin, giving Japan third place, so psychologically we had little advantage going into this match!

After the match started, China took a dream start with a 2-0 lead. They then steadily controlled the pace and extended the score to 4-1. Japan fought back hard to narrow it to 4-5. In the crucial ninth end, Japan made a mistake, allowing China to score 4 points and pull ahead 9-4, effectively ending the game early as Japan conceded. Thus, China avenged their loss by beating Japan 9-4 and secured the final Olympic spot!

From this game, China played very well, controlling losses when going first and frequently seizing opportunities to widen the lead when going second. The decisive blow came in the ninth end, clinching their place at the Milan Winter Olympics. Congratulations to the Chinese men's curling team for holding firm under pressure and defeating Japan 9-4 to claim the last Milan Olympic berth. With both the men’s and women’s teams qualified, here we come, Milan Winter Olympics!

Written by / Sports Novel