LAS VEGAS – The Canadian side led by Brad Joshio lost their flag in the men’s curling world final on Sunday, 8-6 against Sweden in Las Vegas.
Quartet Olympic champion Niklas Eden in Beijing won his fourth consecutive world title and sixth overall.
Eden grabbed the hammer at 6-6 in the 10th finish and Sweden scored two points when Gosho couldn’t graze his boulder to the right of the house only to roll behind two Swedish boulders at the top of the four-foot circuit.
Instead of pressing Eden’s last stone, the final ended with a wasted shot.
From the very first end, Eden forced Canada to take a point and didn’t relieve the pressure, taking advantage of every Canadian foul. Gushue already tried to tie in the ninth but had to take the point. Then, at the 10th end, Walker was kicked out for his second rock because she never crossed the playing line.
Canada finished first in the group stage with a score of 10-2. Sweden finished second with a score of 9-3.
Gushue’s team only won the World Cup in 2017.
Team Gushue, made up of deputy captain Mark Nichols, second player Brett Gallant, and first player Geoff Walker, have spent two Olympics together, but were in their last two competitions. Galant will leave the roster at the end of the season.
The Italian quartet led by Joel Riturnaz beat American Corey Drobkin 13-4 to win the bronze medal earlier in the day in the small final.
Ritornaz completed the knockout at the seventh end, scoring six points.
Drobkin threw 59%, the lowest in the tournament, while Ritornaz scored 77% of his shots.
