WMXCC2016: We always enjoy playing in Russia – you can feel fans’ support all the time, team Belarus say

More matches were played on the fourth competition day at the World Mixed Curling Championship in Kazan. The race to the playoffs is heating up.

Sweden-Brazil, 10-2

The score was 10-0, when the Brazilian team finally managed to score two points and break the shutout. So far, the Swedes have known no defeat at the Kazan championship.

“It’s true, Brazil is not able to provide the challenge yet at world championships but we can see that they are making progress. I think that there are no random teams here; it’s a serious championship and it’s important to maintain an adequate motivation for the matches. We currently do well in the games but there are still many matches to play, and we need to do better if we want to win medals,” said Kristian Lindstroem, the skip of the Swedish national team.

Andorra-Canada, 2-7

The meet between the teams of Canada and Andorra had a similar outcome. The experienced North American team dictated the run of the game throughout the entire match and scored its fourth victory at the Kazan tournament.

“We knew that there was a slim chance that we could win – Canada shows an incredible performance. We just wanted to enjoy the match, to gain new experience. To be honest, yesterday we were very lucky. It’s good that we will take at least one victory home but honestly we do not have any playoff chances,” shared Team Andorra’s second, Anna Arias, in her interview.

Italy-New Zealand, 7-4

The Italian curlers’ stunning performance in the final end enabled them to break down New Zealand’s resistance. It propelled them to the second place in the group, right behind Team Canada.

“We are happy with the victory; today we had a good but a tough match. We made several unnecessary mistakes. I’m glad that we managed to correct them all. We’ve improved our playoff chances but there’s still much to be done,” Team Italy’s skip, Denise Pimpini, admitted. 

Japan-Scotland, 4-7

Scotland’s dominating play allowed them to considerably stretch the lead over their opponents from the very start, 6-1. However, Team Japan managed to close the gap and lose the match with a good score.

“The match was quite a challenge; successful ends went bad, good deliveries didn’t work. In the penultimate end, I produced a good hit and stay and this helped us to win,” said Team Scotland’s vice skip, Katie Murray.

“There are not so many curlers in Japan but there are a lot of ice arenas and great training facilities that’s why curling’s popularity in our country is just a matter of time. We don’t have so much international experience so the championship in Kazan is a perfect opportunity for us to gain it,” Mayumi Okutsu, the skip of the Japanese national team, explained.

“Russia is a wonderful country. We are here for the first time and we like everything here – the city is amazing! But most of all we are impressed by the people – they are kind, intelligent and friendly,” the curler said.

Belarus-Norway, 0-14

After suffering two blowout defeats, Norway took it out on the Belarusian team and recovered their position in the group standings. The Scandinavians have two losses and two wins.

“We've started off well today but yesterday’s game against Italy unsettled us. We’ve never competed with this roster before, although it’s no excuse for our failures. We need to reconsider our performance. There are almost no playoff chances for us but we will still fight until the very end. We are aware of the responsibility that had been placed on us,” stated Andrei Yurkevich, the second of Team Belarus.

“The conditions at the world championships are great: ice, arena, services, transport, hotel. It’s always nice to compete in Russia. We can feel fans’ support and friendly attitude all the time,” Andrei added.

USA-Belgium, 10-5

The US team showed a steady and confident play and didn’t let the initiative slip away during the match. Belgium fought well but they lacked some strength to win the game.

“We played well, placed our stakes on guards, had chances to score more stones in the fifth and sixth ends but our bad shots didn’t let us do it. That’s why we have this score on the board. I hope that in the future luck will be on our side and we will advance to the next stage,” admitted Kevin Cox, the vice skip of the Belgian team.

Ireland-Hungary, 2-9

“We have mentally prepared ourselves for a win but it was not enough. Team Hungary was very good; I want to thank them for this game. It was a lesson for us; we need to convert our chances; there were several bitter bad shots and empty stones,” Ross Barr, the third of Team Ireland, shared his thoughts of the game.

Poland-Czech Republic, 3-8

Russia’s two closest pursuers in the group faced off today, deciding the fate of the second playoff berth. The Czech Republic was the one that gained the upper hand in the match: “It’s important to stay focused during the entire game; today we were a little bit nervous early in the game but then we braced up and won the meet. It was a tough match but the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory,” Jakub Bares, the Czech Republic’s skip, said after the match.

“To be honest, I haven’t thought about our further chances yet; we just play one match after another. The main thing is to get into the playoffs; it doesn’t really matter which team we are going to face there. All teams are good here; anything may happen during one match because we will be meeting for the first time anyway,” he added.

Australia-Kazakhstan, 9-4

“We knew the other team’s style of play, their tactics. We kept building the pressure without forcing the events. There are no weak teams here; any team can win, especially if they have the last-stone advantage,” Team Australia’s lead, Helen Williams, commented on the result of the match.

Estonia-Switzerland, 3-6

“We showed a good game; it was an important match for us. We want to say a huge thank you to our fans. They play a great role in our victories,” said Elena Stern, the skip of the Swiss team.