The team — skip Kim Eun-ji, third Kim Min-ji, second Kim Su-ji, lead Seol Ye-eun and fifth Seol Ye-ji — lost 10-7 to Canada in its ninth and final round-robin game on Feb. 19 (Korea time) at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
South Korea entered the match at 4-4, tied for third with Canada and the United States. A win would have clinched a semifinal berth regardless of other results, but the loss to world No. 2 Canada left South Korea tied for fifth at 5-4.
In women’s curling, 10 teams play nine round-robin games, with the top four advancing to the semifinals.
Sweden finished first at 7-2. The United States placed second, Switzerland third and Canada fourth, with all three at 6-3.
South Korea fell behind early, giving up one point in each of the first two ends. It rallied with three in the third, then traded points to go into the break tied 4-4 after allowing two in the fourth and scoring one in the fifth.
The turning point came in the sixth end. With its final stone, South Korea faced Canada holding stones in positions one through four, but Kim’s last shot failed to clear them, and South Korea surrendered four points to trail 8-4.
South Korea scored one in the seventh, gave up one in the eighth and pulled within 9-7 with two in the ninth. But playing first in the 10th, it could not steal points and lost 10-7.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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