Finland, USA and Great Britain have qualified for the semi finals boosting their chances of winning a first Olympic men’s curling medal.

Great Britain lost to the USA 9-8, but still shares a 6-2 win/loss record with the American and Finnish rinks.

Four rinks are in the hunt for the last qualifying spot – Canada with a 4-3 record, Italy and Norway on 4-4 and Switzerland 3-4.

Each rink would have played nine games when the robin competition ends on 20 February (Day 10).

If the Canadian curlers win their last two encounters, against New Zealand on Day 9 and USA on the final day of competition, they will reach the semi finals.

If Canada loses a game, it’s then an open race, with the need for a tie breaker day on 21 February (Day 11) always a possibility.

Finland won its fourth straight game by subduing Italy, 7-4, in a closely contested game. The Italians got out of serious trouble in the fifth by sneaking a draw into a house flooded with opposition stones to steal one.

That created a 3-3 tie, but Finn skip Markku Uusipaavalniemi feathered a second counter into the rings one end later. Italy would put up only one more point during the game.

In a duel of young rinks, Team USA blitzed Great Britain for a 6-1 lead after three ends before avoiding late rallies to take the match 9-8.

Norway was opportunistic against a hard-working but unfortunate New Zealand rink prevailing 9-6, sending the luckless Kiwis to their seventh loss in as many matches.

Germany changed its back end, with Uli Kapp taking over as skip from his brother Andy. The younger Kapp was on the money with a fourth counter to an open house after a damaging takeout miss by Swedish skip Peja Lindholm in the sixth.

The Germans won 7-5 for their second win, while Sweden lost its fifth straight.

Men’s action continues at Pinerolo Palaghiaccio on 19 February (Day 9) at 19:00.

Tom Read/AOC
Torino