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| South Korean women's team members celebrate after winning a silver medal at the Olympic curling final at the Gangneung Culring Center, Sunday. / Yonhap |
Team Kim achives best achivement among Asian nations
By Yi Whan-woo
South Korea took silver in women's curling at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Sunday, winning its first medal in the sport after its introduction here in 1995.
The team of Kim Eun-jung, Kim Kyeong-ae, Kim Seon-yeong and Kim Yeong-mi was relentless until it lost to Sweden 3-8 on the final day of the Winter Games at the Gangneung Curling Center.
It defeated top-seeded competitors, such as world No. 1 Canada, during the round robin and knockout rounds after entering the Olympics as the eighth-seeded among 10 teams.
It had an eight-game winning streak before losing to Sweden, which it had defeated 7-6 in the round robin.
"It is the first medal in curling, and it's an honor to have the medal," skip Kim Eun-jung said. "We have been through a lot to blaze the trail."
She congratulated Sweden for playing a perfect match, saying, "They deserved to be at the top of the podium."
The silver medal is the highest achievement among Asian nations in Olympic curling.
It helped Team Korea end the medal tally with a record-high 17 -- five gold, eight silver and four bronze.
South Korea led 1-0 in the first end after Sweden missed an early takeout attempt.
Sweden then took control of the match, earning two points in the third end and one point each in the following two ends for a 4-1 lead.
South Korea responded with one point in the sixth end, but Sweden delivered a takeout on its final rock of the seventh to score three points and open a 7-2 lead.
Team Kim picked up one in the eighth, but failed to keep the Swedes from scoring in the ninth for an 8-3 lead.
The South Koreans called it a day and shook hands with the Swedes to concede defeat before the final 10th end.
The team has become an overnight sensation with their stellar performance, although Sunday's defeat slightly diminished the excitement among home fans.
Fans filled a high school gym to watch the game live in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, the hometown of all four players.
Gangneung Curling Center was also packed and fans rooted for the host nation's every shot.
Parody videos, collages of skip Kim's facial expressions and other memes went viral in honor of the team's performance.
The team members said they were unaware of such popularity during the Olympics because their coach took away their mobile phones to shield them from any pressure that might come from nationwide attention.
South Korea made its Olympic debut in curling at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. It finished eighth.
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