WMXCC2016: first playoff teams revealed

Matches of the evening session today determined the first teams that will compete in the playoffs of the World Mixed Curling Championship in Kazan.

Romania-Scotland, 4-8

“We played against Scotland – the home of curling, and right from the start our chances were minimal although we were motivated to win. Right now it’s no use saddening about it; we’ve left all emotions on the ice. I’m focused only on future games, future shots. We tried to change our tactics, discussed all questions with our coach; after all, curling is ‘chess on ice’. But no matter how wise your tactical approach is, it’s useless if your shots are bad,” said the vice skip of the Romanian team, Allen Coliban.

Kazakhstan-Russia, 1-12

The victory in this match meant a playoff spot for Russia. And despite losing in the first end, the hosts managed to achieve the desired result.

“We’ve made it into the playoffs; we have done half the job but there’s still much to do. The rest of the matches in the group stage will be just as important. Firstly, we cannot afford playing in a relaxed way in front of our fans. And secondly, it’s important to finish atop the group for a better seeding,” said Anastasia Bryzgalova, the vice skip of Team Russia.

Belgium-Canada, 2-7

Belgium’s loss in this match meant that its chances at making the playoffs would be virtually dead. And so it happened. One can hardly hope to win when playing against such a curling powerhouse as Canada.

“We are happy that we got into the playoffs. The hard part is over but we came here not only for playoffs, there are still many matches to be played. The rest of the games in the group will be just as important, although it’s not crucial for us to end up first in the group standings. The main thing is not to slow down the pace and not to show our weakness to our opponents,” explained Sarah Wilkes, the vice skip of the Canadian team.

Slovakia-Finland, 3-4

The fans witnessed nine ends of hard and uncompromising struggle and were kept on the edge of their seats by the thriller that unfolded on ice. Eventually, the Finnish skip’s top-class shot in an extra end decided the outcome of the match.

“I’m very pleased with the victory. It was a stunning match; one of the longest and challenging ones in my curling career, and I’ve been playing curling for more than 17 years! Once in Finland we played 12 or 13 ends, for almost 5 hours; and I don’t know the exact length because the watch stopped,” Jere Sullanmaa, the fourth of the Finnish team, shared his thoughts of the game.

Turkey-Netherlands, 8-3

Turkey continues its winning streak by taking its fifth consecutive victory and advanced to the playoffs. The Dutch team suffered their fifth defeat and settled for the last place in the group.

“I cannot say that it was a good match for our team but we really wanted to win and strained every effort for it. It’s sad that we failed; a couple of missed shots and that’s it, we lost. It will be more difficult to get into the playoffs now but we will keep fighting until the end,” said Willem Van Der Steeg, the third of the Dutch national team.

Latvia-Korea, 1-8

The Koreans snatched a key victory in the battle for playoff berths. At present, Korea and Latvia have three wins each.

“Curling in Korea is developing at a rapid pace. We want to get into the world’s top curling teams; after all, we are going to host the Olympics soon and we must perform as successfully as possible. We have an ambitious goal at this championship – we count on getting into the playoffs and fighting for medals,” said Team Korea’s skip, Lee Kibok.

USA-France, 9-1

France had faint playoff odds before the match against Team USA but these hopes were dashed by the bitter defeat. The US curlers placed second in their group with four wins.

“It’s very important – to put together a good team, to bring together male and female athletes for one big goal, to make them a family. Curling in the United States is very popular; our federation makes every effort to develop it that’s why we need to show good results. It’s hard to say how everything will be in reality – we reach the playoffs and see what will come of it. Everything can happen in one match,” admitted the US team’s coach, Robert Walstad.

Poland-Australia, 6-5

Team Russia secured the first place in Group C but other teams in the group, except for Kazakhstan, still have a chance of progressing to the playoffs.  Poland gained an important win in the match against Australia, having now three wins and two losses under its belt. 

“It was an incredible match: sea of emotions, arguments, discussions with a coach, judges, incredible outcome for our team… I have no words for that! But there’s more – we are about to play against Spain the day after tomorrow. It will be the key match for the group qualification,” Kasper Knebloch, the second of Team Poland, commented on his team’s play in the match. 

Brazil-Hungary, 4-7

In the meet between the leader and the outsider of Group B, Team Brazil resisted with all their might but still suffered their fifth bitter defeat at the tournament. 

“We started to play better, got accomodated to the ice, made some tactical adjustments but it was not enough for wins. I hope that someday we will be able to surprise the curling world. Team Brazil is no joke,” the skip of the Brazilian team, Raphael Monticello, said in his post-match interview.

Croatia-Germany, 1-8

“We show a good teamwork play, follow our coach’s pre-match instructions. We are preparing for future games and hope for the better,” shared Holger Hoehne, the second of the German national team.