Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds opened Team GB’s Winter Olympic campaign with an 8-6 victory over Norway in the curling mixed doubles.
Taking on the team that defeated them in the semi-finals in Beijing 2022, Dodds and Mouat shone, delivering when it counted to take a composed win.
Norway’s Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten took an early advantage in a first end that was disrupted due by a mechanical issue at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
The forced a break in play and it allowed Dodds, who won women’s gold in Beijing, and Mouat to regroup.
They responded emphatically in the second end, as Dodds delivered an excellent last stone to take a 3-1 lead.
The scores were all square after the third end, and in the fourth, it went down to the final stone with Dodds playing an excellent shot to again move ahead, this time by one.
She said: “It was a very back-and-forth game. It took us a wee minute to figure out that one side of the ice was curling more than the other.
“So a couple ends after that, when we went down that way again we just took the other side, and I felt like we had a lot better control.
“And I think that is when we took that step up in performance and controlled the game from there.
“That’s why we play the game, especially that shot in four, drawing against three.
“It is a good confidence boost to start the week, but it is not the first time I am going to need to draw the pin, and it won’t be the last, so it is just a good confidence build for the rest of the week. I love being in those pressured situations.”
The game moved in a similar fashion as Norway regained parity before Dodds was given an opportunity to again stretch Team GB’s lead.
This time it came after an error for Norway, and Dodds well and truly grabbed her opportunity with a crucial final stone to see Team GB jump out to a three-point lead with two ends to play.
It was never going to be easy against the husband-and-wife team who have medalled at each of the last two Games, as Skaslien and Nedregotten ensured there was only one point between the two teams going into the final end.
Team GB had the hammer, but did not need to deliver the last stone of the game as Skaslien’s final effort was not able to trouble the order.
The pair are quickly back in action, taking on Estonia on Thursday morning and Mouat, who skipped his men’s team to silver last time out, is relishing being in front of Winter Olympic crowds for the first time.
He said: “How would I compare it? There are people in the stands, which is pretty special.
“It is nice to have an atmosphere, and it is really nice to be back playing with Jen at the Olympics.
“We love the sport, we love to compete together, we have grown up together, so it is pretty special.”