By Aadi Nair
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 18 (Reuters) – The heat is on for South Korea’s women’s curling team who need to defeat top-ranked Canada in their final round-robin match to ensure a semi-final spot at the Winter Olympics, but skip Gim Eun-ji is determined to keep smiling under pressure.
South Korea are third in the round-robin standings with five wins and three losses, with their final round-robin game pitting them against pre-tournament favourites Canada, who are two-time world champions.
Rachel Homan’s Canada had a poor start but have been picking up some form in the competition and sit just behind South Korea in the standings, making Thursday’s game crucial for both teams’ hopes of making the semi-finals.
“It’s a game that we must win, but I feel if I smile and enjoy the game, rather than feeling pressure that I have to win, I’ll be able to feel less burdened and make good shots,” Gim said after beating 2018 Olympic champions Sweden on Wednesday.
“If I play the game that way, I’ll be able to win. They’re ranked at number one in the world, so they are a tough team, but ranking isn’t important at the Olympics. How much you enjoy the game is important. I’ll play the game with that mindset…
“I definitely want to win a gold medal because South Korea doesn’t have a gold medal (in curling), so that’s what I want to realise.”
The South Korea women’s team which won silver at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang while captivating home fans were nicknamed the “Garlic Girls”, and Gim’s rink have been dubbed “5G”.
“Four people on our team have names that are spelt with a ‘ji’ but (Seol) Ye-eun doesn’t. But she has a nickname with a spelling that includes a ‘ji’,” Gim said.
“Her nickname is dwaeji, which means pig, because she eats a lot. So that’s why we came up with the nickname 5G.”
(Reporting by Heejin Kim in Seoul and Aadi Nair in Cortina d’AmpezzoEditing by Toby Davis)
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