Canada’s wheelchair curlers struck gold in Russia on Saturday defeating Sweden 4-3. (file photo)MARK BLINCH/Reuters
Canada's wheelchair curlers struck gold in Russia on Saturday.
The Canadian team captured its third gold medal in the past four tries by beating Sweden's Jalle Jungnell 4-3 in the final of the world wheelchair curling championship.
Tied 3-3 in the eighth and final end, Canadian skip Jim Armstrong made a freeze to a Swedish rock in the back of the four-foot with his first shot that Jungnell could do nothing about.
"We did have our opportunities early in the game and we just never really closed on them," said Armstrong. "The biggest thing in that final end was keeping that centre open so that I'd have a shot with my last one."
Canada lost to Sweden twice earlier in the week, 8-7 in the round robin on Wednesday and 6-5 in Friday's 1-2 Page playoff.
But Canada rallied to beat Patrick McDonald of the United States in Friday's semifinal to set up a third showdown with Sweden.
Earlier on Saturday, China's Haitao Wang won the bronze medal with a 6-5 win over the U.S.