Aussie curlers fall agonisingly short in Winter Olympics opener
Australian curlers Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt have suffered a last gasp defeat in their opening round robin match of the Winter Olympics.
Competition has begun with curlers the first athletes in action ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday night.
And the Aussies fell agonisingly short in their first match-up against American duo Chris Plys and Vicky Persinger.
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After a fast start by the Australian pair which saw them open up a 5-3 lead, the US team went on a run to draw level before the Aussies had a chance to snatch it late.
Gill missed an opportunity with the last stone but missed by the barest of margins as she attempted to put Australia up 6-5.
That opened the door for Team USA and they were able to earn a steal for the winning point - known in curling as the hammer - to seal the win 6-5.
"That last shot could have been made, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. I'll make sure to make it next time," said Gill.
"Like every team, we're here to win. It's a tight field. I don't know who's going to take out the top and that just makes it really exciting for the viewers."
BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 02: Tahli Gill of Team Australia reacts during the Curling Mixed Doubles Round Robin ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at National Aquatics Centre on February 02, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Getty
Hewitt said it could have gone either way.
"The result didn't pan out our way, but it was a pretty good game, it was close all the way and that's what we like to do - we brought it down to the last shot."
Gill and Hewitt made history by becoming Australia's first ever Olympic competitors in curling.
But they endured a rough start to their campaign after Gill tested positive to COVID-19 on her arrival at Beijing Airport. The pair were placed in isolation for two days as a result.
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"It was definitely a tight battle and they played really well," Gill added.
"It just came down to that last rock.
"It didn't come off the way we wanted to, but just going to park it and have so much confidence going into the next game."
The match was played in the reconfigured Water Cube arena which hosted swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The duo continue their round robin action against China on today, with the gold medal match to be played on Tuesday.
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