Team GB curling star Jen Dodds was left fighting back tears after Great Britain suffered another agonising near-miss at the Winter Olympics, losing out to hosts Italy in the mixed doubles bronze medal match.
Dodds, competing alongside long-time partner Bruce Mouat, cut a distraught figure after the pair were beaten 5–3 by Italy’s Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini, a result that condemned Britain to a fourth-place finish and extended the nation’s frustrating wait for a medal at the Games.
In a tournament where Team GB had entered as genuine podium contenders, the emotional aftermath told its own story.
Dodds, clearly devastated, broke down in a raw post-match moment that encapsulated just how fine the margins are at Olympic level — and how deeply the defeat cut.
Team GB curling stars Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat were devastated after finishing fourth in the curling
|BBC
The British duo had arrived at the bronze medal match buoyed by a strong round-robin campaign, finishing top of the standings with just a single loss.
Confidence was high that Great Britain could finally end their medal drought, but those hopes were dented in a narrow semi-final defeat to Sweden — and ultimately extinguished by a composed Italian performance on home ice.
Italy, roared on by a passionate crowd in Cortina, showed their pedigree when it mattered most. Mosaner and Constantini, Olympic champions in Beijing four years ago, delivered crucial shots in the middle and latter ends, keeping the scoreboard ticking over while limiting British opportunities.
Despite moments of brilliance from Mouat and Dodds, Team GB struggled to find the decisive breakthrough. As the final stones were played and Italy’s victory was confirmed, the magnitude of the moment became clear. Dodds turned away from the cameras, visibly emotional, as another Olympic medal slipped through her fingers.
Speaking shortly after the match, Dodds admitted the pain was overwhelming.
“So close and yet so far,” she said, her voice cracking. “I don’t want to ugly cry — so I’ll just stop there.”
Olympic curlers Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat were beaten by Italy to miss out on bronze
|REUTERS
It was a brutally honest assessment from an athlete who has now finished fourth in mixed doubles at successive Winter Olympics. For Mouat, the disappointment was equally sharp, though he was quick to highlight the resilience shown throughout the week.
“We gave ourselves a chance, and that’s all you can do,” he said. “It hurts right now, but I’m proud of how we competed.”
The defeat also added to a growing sense of frustration around Team GB’s overall Olympic campaign. Several British athletes across different disciplines have come agonisingly close to medals, only to fall short at the final hurdle. Curling, traditionally one of Britain’s strongest Winter Olympic sports, had been viewed as a major opportunity to change that narrative.
Chef de Mission Eve Muirhead, herself a former Olympic curling champion, urged calm and perspective in the wake of the loss. She praised Dodds and Mouat for their commitment and reminded the wider team that opportunities remain in the men’s and women’s curling events still to come.
“There’s disappointment, of course,” Muirhead said. “But this team has shown time and again that they can bounce back. We’re not done yet.”
For Italy, the victory was met with jubilation. Securing a curling medal on home soil represented a significant moment for the hosts, and the atmosphere inside the arena reflected that. For Great Britain, however, it was another long walk off the ice — and another reminder of how unforgiving the Olympic stage can be.