GB Wheelchair Curlers Begin Paralympics with Narrow Loss to Estonia
Great Britain faced a 10-7 defeat against Estonia in their opening wheelchair curling round-robin match at the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics mixed doubles tournament.
The British duo, Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean, trailed the world bronze medallists 5-2 after four of the eight ends. However, they rallied by scoring two points in the fifth end and an impressive three in the sixth, bringing the match back into contention.
Entering the final end, Estonia led 8-7. Despite GB having the hammer advantage, they required a double takeout to secure victory but fell short, allowing Estonia to claim the win.
This match marked the first competitive action at the Games, preceding the opening ceremony scheduled for Friday.
Butterfield, aiming to become the first Briton to win gold at both summer and winter Paralympics, and Kean were the initial competitors representing ParalympicsGB at the event.
Match Progression and Key Moments
The Estonian team, consisting of Katlin Riidebach and Ain Villau, capitalized on the hammer in the opening end to score two points. GB responded by leveling the score after two ends, narrowly missing a chance to score three.
Estonia gained momentum in the third end, forcing GB to limit their opponents to two points. A steal by Estonia in the final end before the break extended their lead to 5-2.
GB began the second half strongly, using the hammer to reduce the deficit to 5-4. An error by Riidebach combined with a well-executed stone by Butterfield gave GB their first lead in the match.
Despite this, Estonia produced a strong seventh end to regain the lead. In a tense conclusion, Estonia positioned two stones in the house in the final end, which GB could not counter.
Upcoming Matches
The British team will continue their campaign against South Korea on Thursday at 09:05 GMT. South Korea lost their opener 7-5 to hosts Italy. Later the same day at 18:05, GB will face Latvia, who were defeated 11-6 by the United States in their opening game.
Other matches on the day included China securing a comfortable 10-3 victory over Japan.
