‘Tim Kim’ World Championship runner-up, writing a new history in Korean curling

Team Kim (Gangneung City Hall), the women’s national curling team, took the runners-up at the World Championships, marking another mark in Korea’s curling history.

Gangneung City Hall Women’s Curling Team ‘Team Kim (Skip Kim Eun-jung, lead Kim Seon-young, second Kim Cho-hee, third Kim Gyeong-ae, candidate Kim Young-mi)’, led by coach Im Im-seop, competed in the final of the 2022 Women’s Curling World Championships held in Prince George, Canada on the 28th (Korea time). lost 6-7 to Tirinzoni.

Tim Kim, who made it to the finals of the world championship for the first time in Korean curling history, tried to win the championship, but could not overcome the wall of European powerhouse Switzerland. Although they missed the championship, Tim Kim wrote a new history in Korean curling by taking the runner-up with the best record in the history of world championships. In Korean curling, the best result of both a male and female quadruple and a mixed duo was that ‘Team Minji’ of Chuncheon City Hall won the bronze medal in the 2019 tournament until Team Kim took the runners-up in this tournament. With the runner-up on this day, Tim Kim became the protagonist of a new history, and also brushed off the disappointment of failing to win two consecutive Olympic medals by dropping out of the preliminary round at the Beijing Winter Olympics last month.

After conceding 3 points to Switzerland in the 2nd end, Tim Kim also conceded one goal in the 4th end and faced a crisis from the beginning of the game. Tim Kim, who was behind 1-4, overtook Switzerland with two points in the 5th end and pressed Switzerland. Team Kim, who prevented the conceding crisis with one point in the 6th end, made a dramatic tie by scoring 2 points with a calm draw shot from captain Eun-jung Kim as Switzerland made a series of mistakes in the 7th end. The two teams, who exchanged 1 point in the 8th and 9th ends, hit the final 10th in a 6-6 situation. Tim Kim, who took the lead by scoring in the 9th end, focused on defense and aimed for steals (scoring in the end that came first), but Switzerland created an advantageous situation by removing Tim Kim’s defense stones one by one. In the end, Switzerland finished the game with the last stone pushing out all of Tim Kim’s stones in the house and scoring the finish line.

Team Tirinzoni of Switzerland, who defeated Tim Kim in the final, lifted the World Championship trophy for the third consecutive year after winning the 2020 tournament. Switzerland showed a perfect performance by recording 14 wins and no losses in 14 matches, including 12 consecutive qualifiers in this tournament.

Captain Kim Eun-jeong immediately after the match, said, “I was taken to Switzerland by giving 3 points at the beginning of the game, but I’m proud that I didn’t give up on the game and kept it tight until the end. I am proud to be able to play a game like this.” Seunghwan Jeong jeong28@kado.net