Winter Olympics 2026: Switzerland claim men's curling bronze as Norway concede with end to spare but wow crowd with 'spin-o-rama'
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Updated 21/02/2026 at 00:06 GMT
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Switzerland hammered Norway 9-1 to claim men's curling bronze at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026. Norway's skip Magnus Ramsfjell entertained the crowd with a trick shot at the end but his team were outplayed and they conceded with one end remaining. The result sees Switzerland move above Sweden in the medal table. GB face Canada for gold on Saturday, live on discovery+.
Watch as Swiss curler meets mishap against Team GB - 'Don't see that very often!'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Switzerland were a class above Norway in the men’s curling bronze medal match at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026, winning 9-1 with one end still to go.
Indeed, Norway’s moment of the game came with their final stone, as skip Magnus Ramsfjell produced a 360-degree spin before releasing the stone, then surrendering the medal.
Team GB defeated the Swiss in the semi-finals, booking Bruce Moaut and his team’s place in Saturday’s gold medal match, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, but Switzerland and particularly their Benoit Schwarz-van Berkel were back to their best against Norway.
Switzerland recorded an 88% success rate on their draws, slightly better than their opponents, but their real difference-maker was in takeout accuracy, with Norway 15% worse than the bronze medallists leaving them 9% less accurate in total.
The statistics suggested Switzerland could have won bronze even if Norway had the hammer in every end, claiming four stolen points.
The second end proved to be crucial as Norway missed a takeout with their final stone and the Swiss threaded the needle perfectly to knock the opposition’s only stone out of the house and take a 3-0 lead.
Needing a response, Norway attempted a risky double-takeout with the hammer in the next end but missed by several feet, allowing Switzerland to steal one point and truly take command of the match.
Immense sweeping by Sven Michel and Pablo Lachat-Couchepin meant that Norway got on the board in the fifth end but could only score one thanks to a Swiss split inside the eight-foot ring.
Schwarz-van Berkel’s team extended their lead further in the eighth end and it was something of a surprise that Norway continued after that.
A tricky guard from Norway just past the hog line looked to have caused Switzerland problems but they responded in fine style, grabbing another two points with some fine draws.
What is a ‘spin-o-rama’ in curling?
Popularised by Canada’s Jeff Stoughton, the trick shot has actually been played before in Olympic curling - but not by the player who made it iconic.
Curlers push off the hack with their back foot angled across, forcing them into the spin. They must then complete the spin, straighten up and deliver the stone before the hog line, preferably getting the stone on target too.
Stoughton never made it to the Olympics to showcase the move but Swedish skip Niklas Edin performed it with his final throw of the gold medal match at PyeongChang 2018.
Though Ramsfjell brought applause from the crowd in Cortina, the ninth and final end saw the Swiss add another three to the score, with the match then swiftly conceded.
It is the fifth Winter Olympic medal for Switzerland’s male curlers, who have won bronze at every other Games since Salt Lake City 2002, while Norway haven’t finished on the podium since Vancouver 2010 and missed the chance to their 37 medals overall in Milano Cortina.
Meanwhile, Switzerland’s bronze moves them above Sweden in the medal table after the countries were previously tied in seventh on six golds, six silvers and four bronzes.
Saturday’s final, beginning at 18:05 UK time, will be the final match of the tournament and see Team GB’s men looking to end a 102-year wait for a second gold in the sport, since they triumphed at the 1924 Winter Olympics.
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Why Team GB curling final will be 'prime time Saturday night TV'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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