China rallies past Italy in Olympic women's curling

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- China came from behind to defeat host Italy 8-7 in the women's curling tournament at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games here on Saturday.

China and Italy traded the lead throughout the match until the 10th end, when Italy's skip Stefania Constantini missed a hit-and-roll attempt, allowing China to steal one point and seal a narrow victory.

"That was a great game. We stayed calm and played patiently," said Chinese skip Wang Rui. "We are happy to have two wins now, but there is still a long way to go this week. We need to stay focused and take it one game at a time."

Britain edged reigning world champion Canada 7-6 to take its first win after four round-robin sessions.

Sweden remained unbeaten after four sessions, while Switzerland and the United States sit joint second with three wins and one loss. China now holds a 2-1 record.

In the men's competition, defending Olympic champion Sweden earned its first win at Milan-Cortina 2026 with a 6-4 victory over China. The United States led throughout to defeat Germany 8-6, Britain claimed its third win by beating the Czech Republic 7-4, and Switzerland overpowered Canada 9-5.

Switzerland tops the men's standings with four straight wins, followed by Britain and Canada with three wins and one loss each. China and the Czech Republic remain winless after four games. ■