CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland swept Norway 9-1 to claim the bronze medal in the men's curling competition at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday.
Switzerland, who had topped the round-robin standings with nine consecutive wins, was upset 8-5 by Britain, the last team to qualify for the semifinals.
In the bronze medal game, the Swiss dominated from the start, building a 4-0 lead after four ends. Although Norway pulled one point back in the fifth end, Switzerland maintained control and extended its advantage to 9-1 after nine ends.
"It's amazing to come away with a medal after four years. It was such a great project," Swiss curler Yannick Schwaller said.
"To have that ultimate goal at the Olympics and to win a medal here feels fantastic. Of course, there are mixed feelings because we were playing so well and could have won that semifinal too. But I'm very proud," he added.
In the women's competition, Sweden will face Switzerland for the gold medal on Sunday after both teams emerged victorious from Friday afternoon's semifinals.
Sweden, the round-robin table toppers, defeated Canada 6-3, while Switzerland beat the United States 7-4 in the women's semifinals.
The women's final between Sweden and Switzerland will be the last event at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on February 22, while the bronze medal game between Canada and the United States will take place on Saturday.
