BEIJING – Japan pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Denmark 8-7 on Saturday in a closely fought women’s Olympic curling contest.
Skip Satsuki Fujisawa delivered a pinpoint double raise to score three with the game’s final shot at Beijing’s National Aquatic Centre as world No. 7 Japan improved to 2-1 in round robin play.
Coming off a morale-boosting win against traditional curling power Canada, the 2018 Olympic bronze medal-winning team Loco Solare went back and forth with world No. 10 Denmark in a see-sawing battle.
Following a blank first end, Japan stole one in the second after Fujisawa used her final throw to guard against a double takeout.
Skip Madeleine Dupont’s Denmark team finally scored with the hammer in the third, going up 2-1 before Japan hit straight back with a two-ender of its own in the fourth.
After the Danes added another two in the fifth, Japan narrowly missed out on a two-ender to leave the scores deadlocked 4-4 through six.
Dupont was on target in the seventh to give Denmark its third straight two-ender with the hammer, while Japan needed a precise raise from Fujisawa for a point in the following end to pull within one at 6-5 through eight.
With Denmark scoring one with the hammer in the ninth, Japan went into the final regulation end needing a two-ender just to stay in the contest. But 30-year-old skip Fujisawa went one better with the hammer, pulling off the audacious three-point double raise to deliver the victory.
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