Ross Whyte has rounded off Team GB’s Youth Olympic Games in style by winning a silver medal in the curling mixed doubles on the last day of competition at Lillehammer 2016.
The 17-year-old, playing alongside Yu Han of China, went down 11-5 to the Japan-Switzerland pairing of Yako Matsuzawa and Philipp Hoesli having earlier beaten Sasaki Honoka (Japan) and Tyler Tardi (Canada) 6-3 in the semi-final.
Whyte, who skippered the mixed team rink to the quarter-finals, wins Team GB’s fifth medal of the Games following Madi Rowlands’ gold and bronze in the ski halfpipe and slopestyle, Ashleigh Pittaway’s gold in the skeleton and Kelsea Purchall’s bronze in yesterday’s monobob. Whyte said: “Getting to stand up on the podium for Team GB is a really incredible feeling.
“The other pair played really well today and although we tried hard they were just too strong for us.
“Curling is pretty universal so despite a language barrier we were able to develop a series of hand signals and shouts to communicate how we wanted to played.
“Losing in the mixed team event was gutting but to win this more than makes up for it and means I won’t be going home from the Games tomorrow disappointed. Getting this medal has been brilliant.
“The whole team here in Lillehammer have done well and we’re so happy to come away with five medals. I think we’ve exceeded our expectations and it’s been brilliant.”