China claims bronze in World Women's Curling Championship to secure Olympics spot

SEOUL, March 23 (Xinhua) -- China claimed the bronze medal at the World Women's Curling Championship with a 9-4 victory over host South Korea on Sunday, securing a berth for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

After finishing fifth in the round-robin stage with seven wins and five defeats, China staged a comeback win against Sweden on Saturday, reaching the semifinals for the first time in 14 years. However, a narrow loss to Switzerland set up a third-place clash against South Korea.

South Korea, the bronze medalist at the 2024 Women's Curling World Championship, had previously defeated China twice this year - once in the final of the Harbin Asian Winter Games in February and again during the round-robin stage of this championship.

The first five ends saw a tight contest, with the teams tied at 2-2. South Korea scored two points in the sixth end to take a 4-2 lead, but China responded immediately, entering the final end with a 6-4 advantage. In the tenth end, China executed their strategy flawlessly, using three stones in the house to block their opponent. South Korea's last attempt failed to clear the stones, allowing China to steal three points and seal a decisive 9-4 victory.

This win not only secured China a spot in the 2026 Winter Olympics but also marked their return to the World Championship podium after 14 years.