Winter Olympics 2026: GB curlers denied Olympic gold at death yet again

After the epic semi-final win over Switzerland on Thursday, Mouat referred to it as “our gold medal”. Presumptuous? Perhaps. But that belief was founded in fact.

His rink have won two World Championships and a couple of European crowns as well as a record 12 Grand Slam titles since the last Games.

Furthermore, they boast an excellent record against the Canadians and beat them in last year’s world semis. Jacobs’ time-served team did win the round-robin meeting earlier in the week but that was a rare reverse.

In that contest, GB led after six ends before slipping to the 9-5 defeat that left them needing favours from other teams.

It was the same this time, a fabulous Mouat double-takeout edging GB 5-4 ahead at that stage after a cagey opening half during which he and 2014 gold-medallist Brad Jacobs traded points.

Canada – who have had a tumultuous time of it themselves here amid cheating claims – drew level after seven, but Britain had the advantage of the hammer in two of the final three ends.

They could not make the most of that though.

Just one in the eighth for GB gave Canada the sniff of an opportunity and that snatched it ruthlessly, capitalising on some slack stones in the ninth to lead 8-6 going into the last.

Mouat had the hammer but he needed two to force an extra end. Could the man considered the best shot-maker in world come up with the goods in the biggest moment?

He couldn’t. And for the second Olympics in a row, the GB rink were left with a medal that they did not want.

“We wanted to win it for each other,” an emotional Hardie told BBC Sport.

“The pain from four years ago was so much that we wanted to give it another go. We gave ourselves a chance but unfortunately we’ve not got there again.”