Curling Nadeshikos Won Silver Medals

Our girls did it, folks - those curling Nadeshikos finished second with silver medals in women's Curling World Cup.

Such a close game they lost in the final against the Swiss team March 27, Canada.

This is Nathan Shiga reporting on the fine work our girls did in curling - two episodes in a row on the women's curling but bear with us, folks, it's such a soothing event to write about.

LS Kitami met the Swiss in the final - the 9th ranking against the champions who were looking for the championship for three years in a row. Japan had lost to Switzerland twice both in the preliminary and the playoff and that was the third challenge in the final.

Japan came from behind up to the 8th end Skip, when Satsuki Fujisawa managed a tough shot for 3 points to lead the Swiss 6-5. Swiss was to regain 2 points the following end to lead the match again 6-7.

In the 10th end, Japan had a chance of dragging to extra ends but Fujisawa's last shot failed to bring home that much-needed
extra one point.

But then, Japan finished second in the World Cup winning the silver medals for the first time ever. The Nadeshikos scored 12 points. Seven of the 10 teams eligible of the Pyongyang Olympics 2 years later are to be selected by the number of points through the world cups. Japan advanced closer to the Olympics.

Skip Fujisawa who missed the crucial shot in the final match was all in tears after the match:

"No, the silver medal is not enough. I've got to be a lot better skip with skills to make those crucial shots. I have so much to learn yet."

Well, as Chinami Yoshida, the only curler who had participated in Sochi two years before, says "that was a meaningful silver medal for our team and for Japan's curling". It all depends on how they will try to make it a still more meaningful accomplishment.

Good show, Nadeshikos!