Winter Olympics 2026: Team GB women's curlers suffer 'devastating' exit despite Italy win but remain 'proud' of performance
Updated 19/02/2026 at 19:20 GMT
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Team GB women's curlers suffered a "devastating" Olympic exit in Milano Cortina, despite a 7-4 win over Italy. Rebecca Morrison's rink had to beat Italy to give themselves any chance of advancing to the final four but also needed the USA to lose to Switzerland. The Swiss took that match into an extra end with a three-point score but the USA found a way to win and knock GB out.
Team GB 'devastated' with curling exit but insist: 'We've outdone expectations'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Team GB women's curlers suffered a "devastating" Olympic exit at Milano Cortina, despite a 7-4 win against Italy in their final match of the round-robin stage.
It was a must-win encounter for Team GB and they were largely in control throughout proceedings, with a major error from Stefania Constantini in the ninth end handing Rebecca Morrison an easy shot at a three-pointer to take a 7-3 lead into the final end.
Despite Italy having the hammer, it was never really in doubt and Morrison's double take-out with her final stone of the match was enough to secure victory for Team GB.
The reigning Olympic champions had to win to give themselves a chance at qualification but favourable results elsewhere were still required for them to advance to the final four and keep alive their hopes of defending their crown.
To book a spot in the semi-finals, Morrison, Jennifer Dodds, Sophie Jackson and Sophie Sinclair needed already-qualified Switzerland to defeat the USA.
The Swiss trailed 6-3 heading into the final end but a masterful effort by the Swiss and Alina Paetz saw them take the match into an extra end with a three-pointer.
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Watch: GB get vital win at the death after 'absolutely stunning' stone
Video credit: TNT Sports
Switzerland then came close to stealing the extra end against the hammer but Team USA's Tabitha Peterson managed to squeeze the final stone past the Swiss guard to take a 7-6 win and knock GB out.
It was a heartbreaking way for their Olympic dream to end but Morrison remained proud of the team despite that, insisting that they have outperformed expectations.
She said: "I am so proud of this team. We came in here, I think we are ranked ninth in the field, and we have really outdone everyone’s expectations of us.
"We all believed we could get to that semi-final, so to have it come that close and just slip away in the last few minutes is quite devastating. But [I'm] so proud of what we have done this week."
Dodds, who is the only member of the team who won gold in Beijing four years ago, echoed the thoughts of her skip and rued the fine margins of curling.
"I think that kind of sums up the team a bit. If anything we are maybe slow starters in competition. But then once we get going, there is no stopping us and I think we showed that during this week," Dodds said.
"Curling is such fine margins and watching that stone go into the back from America, I don’t think I have ever willed a stone to keep on going more in my life. So, gutted but can’t be prouder of this team, we have worked so hard.
"We’ve been on an incredible journey, such a building journey from when I joined three years ago, so can’t be prouder of them."
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After a sensational victory over the USA, Team GB had given themselves a slim chance to qualify for the final four but came into the match with the hosts, who were already out of the running, knowing they had to win again.
There may have been some nerves in the opening end, which finished scoreless, but Morrison got Team GB into the lead in the second end.
Italy levelled it up at 1-1 in the third end but from then on it was Team GB who began to exert their dominance and, with the hammer back, Morrison scored two points in the fourth end to lead 3-1, before stealing a point to lead 4-1 at the half-way stage.
Italy threatened to get themselves back into the game with a two-point score in the sixth end to reduce the deficit to 4-3, knowing they had the hammer in the 10th end.
But two scoreless ends saw Team GB with the hammer again in the ninth end and Constantini's grave error teed up Morrison to extend the lead to 7-3.
Italy scored one point in the final end, but it was not enough and Team GB had done their bit.
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Team GB's women's curling team did all they could to qualify but could not manage to do so.
Image credit: Getty Images
Unfortunately for them, in extremely dramatic circumstances, Switzerland did not manage to come through for Morrison and her rink, with Peterson squeezing her shot just in between the Swiss stones to win the match, and take the remaining semi-final spot, by a matter of centimetres.
Canada beat South Korea 10-7 in the other important round-robin match on Thursday to book their spot in the last four.
Sweden, who topped the round-robin table, will face fourth-placed Canada in Friday's semi-finals, with the US and Switzerland meeting again in the other semi-final. Team GB ended up finishing sixth in the table.
The women's final will be played on Sunday morning, with the bronze match on Saturday afternoon.
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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