The mixed doubles competition at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck got underway today. Thomas Muirhead and Mizuki Kitaguchi (Japan), and Angharad Ward and Markus Skogvold (Norway), went out in the first round.But Rachel Hannen, playing with the Czech Republic's Marek Cernovsky won their first round tie.
Leslie Ingram-Brown reports, "At the Youth Winter Olympic Games the GBR/Czech Republic pairing of Rachel Hannen and Marek Cernovsky came throught their first round game against the Italy/New Zealand pairing of Denise Pimpini and David Weyer 8-5.
Rachel was in particuarly good form playing a dead draw for two in the second end to balance out the two taken by the ITA/NZL pairing in the opening end. Steals of a single and a pair in the next two ends and it was 5-2 for Hannen and Cernovsky. But back came the opposition, taking three shots over the fifth and sixth ends to tie the score 5-5.
Seventh end and Rachel played a push back for two with the best still to come in the final end where, when facing three shots, Rachel, with her last stone, played a perfect draw on the outturn to face the opposition stones. With no shot apparent Italy tried an angled raise in the hope that it would disgorge the shot and perhaps they would lie two for a peel. GBR/CZE lay one for an 8-5 victory.
In the final session to-day GBR skip Duncan Menzies has been paired with USA's Taylor Anderson against the NZL/Switzerland line-up of Eleanor Adviento and Romano Meier."
You can find all the results here.
ADDED LATER: Duncan and Taylor won their game at an extra end!
Top: Marek and Rachel watch as Denise Pimpini has the head. Photo © Leslie Ingram-Brown.
