Perfect Canada beat Sweden for women's Olympic curling gold
Sochi (Russia) (AFP) - All-conquering Canada won their first Olympic women's curling gold since 1998 on Thursday, defeating Sweden 6-3 to avenge their defeat in the final on home ice at the Vancouver Games.
Skipped by Jennifer Jones, who took to the rink appropriately wearing golden eye shadow, Canada ended Sweden's hopes of a third successive Olympic title.
Canada also matched the achievement of compatriot Kevin Martin's men's team, who won the title in 2010 by going through the tournament undefeated.
They are also the only women's team to have won an Olympic medal in the sport at every winter Games -- they have two gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
Earlier, Britain secured bronze to ensure the country's most successful Winter Olympic Games since Chamonix, France, in 1924.
Eve Muirhead's curlers beat Switzerland 6-5 in the third-place play-off to add to Lizzy Yarnold's gold in skeleton and Jenny Jones's snowboard bronze.
With Britain into the men's curling final on Friday, the country is already assured of at least four medals.
Britain's women's curlers are also the youngest medallists in the sport, with an average age of just 23 years and 255 days.
It was Britain's first Olympic curling medal since current women's coach Rhona Howie took gold at Salt Lake City 2002.
"It's a dream come true. This is the medal we've been missing and to win it with four of my best friends feels so special," said Muirhead, who skipped the team to the 2013 world title.
"That shows what great athletes we are. You have to learn to lose before you can win and get back up from a defeat. To lose a semi-final at the Olympics and then come back and play for bronze is extra tough. We regrouped and came out fighting."
