By Nam Hyun-woo
The nation’s men’s curling team on Monday clinched a silver medal after playing the first game of their first European tour.
The Gangwon Province curling team, which also represents the country, suffered a 4-5 loss against Team Murdoch of Scotland in the hard fought final of the Curling Champions Tour (CCT) German Masters in Hamburg.
The team, comprised of Kim Soo-hyuk, skip; Kim Tae-hwan, third; Park Jong-duk, second; Nam Yoon-ho, lead; and Yoo Min-hyeon, alternate, allowed a 1-3 lead to the Scots, but tied at 3-3 in the fifth end and turned over 4-3 in the seventh end. However, the two-time world champions and 2014 Sochi Olympics silver medalists achieved a perfect take-out to take the gold medal.
The Koreans defeated the Scots 6-3 in a group match and rallied past Team Edin of Sweden, the reigning world and European champions and the bronze medalists at Sochi, 6-1 in the semifinals.
The CCT is a series of competitions among Europe-based clubs. Along with the World Curling Federation’s Curling Championships and the World Curling Tour, the CCT is one of the top-tier international curling competitions.
The silver medal win has raised expectations for Korea’s performance in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics curling, where three gold medals will be up for grabs. The Korea Curling Federation said it plans to invite foreign coaches from curling powerhouses for the advancement of the sport in Korea.