x
Breaking News
More () »

USA wins first-ever gold medal in men's curling

The U.S. team pulled off huge upsets against both Canada and then Sweden to win the gold medal.
GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 24: John Shuster of the United States reacts during the game against Sweden during the Curling Men's Gold Medal game.

The USA, led by skip John Shuster, defeated Sweden 10-7 on Saturday to claim the nation's first gold medal in Olympic curling.

Shuster broke open a 5-5 game in the eighth end with a monster final throw, for five points. Sweden got two back in the ninth, but that meant the Americans would get the final rock in the 10th end.

It was another surprising result for the Americans, who started the tournament slow but then got hot in their run to the championship.

The Americans' only other medal in curling was bronze at the 2006 Torino Olympics. The team finished second-to-last four years ago in Sochi, and last four years earlier in Vancouver.

It is the first time since 1984 that the U.S. men have reached the championship final of a world or Olympic final.

Shuster, who is competing in his fourth Games and was part of the bronze medal team 12 years ago, was actually ousted from the program after Sochi due to a poor finish. USA Curling started a high-performance program and he wasn’t allowed to participate.

In a form of retaliation, he formed Team Shuster — which Hamilton dubbed the “team of rejects” — and they had top-five finishes in the past three World Championships and won the Olympics trials last November to qualify for Pyeongchang.

Before You Leave, Check This Out