Eve Muirhead is determined to not settle for a second career silver medal at the World Women’s Curling Championships as she bids to make it third time lucky against Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson in Latvia.
Muirhead and her Scottish team of Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and lead Claire Hamilton set up and third and final clash with Sweden for gold in Riga after overcoming Rachel Homan’s Canadian rink 8-7 in the semi-final.
Both teams exchanged two points all the way up to the fourth end and then singles to the sixth before Holman put her Canadian rink in front for the first time in eighth after Muirhead scored one in the seventh.
Muirhead levelled at 7-7 in the ninth and then took the first steal of the game in the tenth for the one point needed for the 8-7 win that sets up a third match for Scotland against Sweden in Latvia.
Scotland lost 11-2 to Sweden second time out before falling 7-5 in the page one-two play-off and having to defeat Canada, who now play USA for bronze, in the semi-final to book another rematch in the final.
And, with her record over Sigfridsson in Latvia in mind and her final defeat to German Andrea Schoepp in 2010, Muirhead simply does not want to come away with anything but gold from Sunday’s final.
“I’m delighted with that. We managed to pick up our two in the first end and it could have gone either way,” said Muirhead, who lost the European Championship final to Russian Anna Sidorova back in December.
“I think it was a real high-quality game, but when it comes down to last stone like that, I tell you what – I’d rather be playing than watching because I’m not the best watcher.
“We always have good battles Rachel and I and it just shows you that was a good battle. We didn’t have a lot of time out there, and first things first; you’ve got to make her play a shot. I don’t think I could have made my last stone any better.
“The girls set up the end well. Leaving her a big double hit is probably not ideal because she loves that shot, but when the pressure’s on, it makes it tougher for anyone.
“I don’t want to come away with a silver. Making the final’s great but when you’ve already got one silver medal from a final, you don’t want another one, so we’ll be definitely pushing hard for the gold.”
© Sportsbeat 2013