Aussie pair suffer shattering last-stone loss in Winter Olympics curling debut

Curlers Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt have suffered a heartbreaking final-stone defeat in their opening round robin match as Australia’s Winter Olympic campaign got underway in anti-climactic fashion at Beijing 2022.

With the opening ceremony on Friday night, the curlers were the first athletes in action two days earlier, competing at the reconfigured iconic Water Cube which hosted swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Watch Australia’s dramatic start to the curling competition in the video above

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The pair were the first Australian curlers to qualify for the Olympics and they looked right at home for the most part in a tense match-up with American duo Chris Plys and Vicky Persinger on Wednesday night.

Yet in a nail-biting climax, with the teams locked at 5-5 heading into the final end, Team USA were able to earn a steal for the winning point and a 6-5 victory after Gill missed an opportunity with the last stone - known in curling as the hammer - to seal the win.

Her stone failed to take out the American rock and sailed through the house but the pair were philosophical about the near-miss.

“That last shot could have been made, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. I’ll make sure to make it next time,” said Gill.

“Like every team, we’re here to win. It’s a tight field. I don’t know who’s going to take out the top and that just makes it really exciting for the viewers.”

Hewitt shrugged: “The result didn’t pan out our way, but it was a pretty good game, it was close all the way and that’s what we like to do - we brought it down to the last shot.”

With only a few hundred spectators allowed inside due to COVID-19 protocols, the Australians got off to a promising start, taking the first end.

The Americans then went on a run, winning two successive ends to move ahead 3-2 at the fifth.

The Australians took their powerplay, coming away with three points to again take the lead but their rivals collected two points on their own powerplay to set up a thrilling finale.

‘It was definitely a tight battle and they played really well,” Gill told 7Olympics.

“It just came down to that last rock.

It didn’t come off the way we wanted to, but just going to park it and have so much confidence going into the next game.”

Gill and Hewitt had endured an interrupted build-up to their first Games appearance after 22-year-old Gill tested positive to COVID-19 on her arrival at Beijing Airport.

The pair were put into isolation for two days over the weekend before subsequent tests cleared Gill to compete, with the positive test a result of an infection last month.

They will have to quickly rebound with an early clash against China on Thursday morning, with Hewitt eyeing a swift comeback against the hosts, who opened with a 7-6 victory over Switzerland.

“You win some, you lose some - but on to the next game now,” shrugged Hewitt.

In the round robin competition, all 10 teams compete against each other and the top four qualify for the semi-finals.

For Hewitt, though, it’s just the experience of being an Olympian competing at the venue where Michael Phelps won eight swimming golds in 2008 that will live with him.

“That’s incredible. Once an Olympian, always an Olympian. That’s so special,” he said.

“It’s amazing, I think it’s the best venue I’ve ever played at. Really cool spot.”

Watch the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics live and free in Australia on Seven and 7plus, with coverage from 12pm AEDT on weekdays and 10am AEDT on weekends.

7plus is your Olympic Winter Games streaming destination, with up to 20 channels covering more sport live and on demand. Head to the 7plus website or download the app on your phone, tablet or Smart TV to get started.