Unbelievable: Swiss women's teams have been world curling champions ten times, but never Olympic champions. This is set to change on Sunday in the final against Sweden.
22.02.2026, 05:00
22.02.2026, 05:01
SDA
After a commanding performance in the semi-final against the USA, which secured the first Swiss women's medal since 2006, confidence is high among the quartet led by skip Silvana Tirinzoni. Their opponents, Anna Hasselborg's Swedes, are big names, but the Swiss have nothing to hide from.
They have been world champions four times in the last seven years alone, with Tirinzoni as number 3 and Alina Pätz as the final player; in the last two years they lost to Canada in the final. But this opponent was knocked out of their way by Sweden. Just play like they did on Friday evening and they'll be fine, that's the motto.
Proud of the whole team
"I'm very proud," enthused Pätz after the semi-final, in which she had a terrific success rate of 99% successful stones. "It's not just me who needs to do this," assured the six-time world champion. "We have such strong wipers who can also save stones and did so today. And Silvana, who did a great job reading the ice."
The Swiss women had not always been completely convincing in the preliminary round, in stark contrast to four years ago in Beijing. Back then, however, the Olympic Games ended with two defeats and no medal. This time the form curve seems to be perfect. What's more, winning at least silver has already taken some of the pressure off.
But of course Tirinzoni, Pätz and the lead players Selina Witschonke and Carole Howald now want to be the first Swiss women's team - and second overall after the men around skip Patrick Hürlimann at the sport's Olympic return in 1998 - to win gold. "I'm expecting another very tough game," Tirinzoni is convinced. Hasselborg is a true specialist for the big Olympic stage; the 36-year-old from Stockholm won gold in 2018 and bronze four years later after beating Switzerland in the match for third place. However, she has never been world champion.
Great confidence
"The mindset will be completely different this time," Alina Pätz is convinced. This time they have nothing to lose but gold to win. Although the Swedes have the right of the last stone thanks to their best record in the round robin, the Americans also had that in the semi-final against Switzerland. "I'm still confident," emphasized Tirinzoni. We've had a very, very good season, and if we play like we have in many games this season, we have a very good chance."
The Swiss skip describes Hasselborg and the Swedes as "good colleagues". Nevertheless, she will do everything she can to ensure that they will be a little less favorable to her on Sunday at around 2 p.m. and after the second-last decision of these games.
