US curlers rock Sweden to win first gold

The United States have delivered a gold-medal knockout punch, scoring five in the eighth end to crush Sweden 10-7 and claim their first ever Olympic men's curling title.

With the score deadlocked 5-5, US skip John Shuster provided some last-rock magic with a pinpoint double take-out for five that left their Swedish opponents stunned at the Gangneung Curling Centre.

The gold was just the second Olympic curling medal won by the US men, following a bronze at the 2006 Turin Winter Games which Shuster was also a part of.

It meant more Olympic disappointment for Niklas Edin who had skipped Sweden to world championship titles in 2013 and 2015 and a bronze at the Sochi Olympics but could not grab the one medal to elude him.

The contest got off to a tactical start with the Swedes blanking the first then scoring a pair in the second only to have the US hit right back with a two on another brilliant last-rock shot from Shuster.

The US stole a point in the fourth after a measurement to determine shot stone to take their first lead, 3-2.

The Swedes would not be rattled, answering with two in the fifth as the seesaw battle continued with the US replying with a pair in the sixth and Sweden getting one back in the seventh to leave the teams deadlocked on 5-5 with three ends to play.

After the US scored their five a reeling Sweden chipped two off the deficit in the ninth but there was too much damage to repair and the Swedes finally conceded in the 10th.