"A tense encounter was decided by the very last shot of the match as skipper Mark Ideson struck a perfectly judged hit and roll to take a solitary, definitive point in the eighth end. Both teams had entered the final in impressive form. The only defeat for China had come at the hands of the Canadians in the round robin stage, with the North Americans themselves unbeaten."
"One key factor in the outcome was determined almost at the off. As the rivals took turns to knock out each other's draws in the opening end, the house was standing empty as Ideson rolled up to take the final stone. Instead of playing for a solitary point, however, he opted to send his stone out of bounds, blanking and retaining the hammer into a second end. This limited Chinese options at a stroke and turned out to be a crucial tactic."
"With neither team wanting to leave themselves vulnerable to a multiple score, play was conservative and Canada led just 2-1 by the halfway point. In the fifth end, China's Li Nana took the lead and followed a take out with a perfect draw into the heart of the house that pulled China level."
Canada reclaimed the wheelchair curling championship at the Winter Paralympics, defeating defending champions China 4-3 in a closely contested final. Skipper Mark Ideson delivered the winning shot in the eighth end with a perfectly executed hit and roll. Both teams entered the final undefeated except for China's single loss to Canada in the round robin. A crucial tactical decision by Ideson in the opening end—blanking the first end to retain the hammer—limited China's scoring opportunities throughout the match. The competition remained tight and conservative, with neither team risking vulnerability. Canada's victory marks their fourth gold medal in this event.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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