Switzerland capture bronze with last stone victory in Vancouver

From Sportsbeat staff, in Vancouver

MARKUS Eggler secured men's curling bronze for Switzerland with a dramatic last stone victory at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

MASTER MINDS: Last stone expert Ralph Stoeckli (r) celebrates with Swiss skip Markus Eggler (l) as they capture bronze in the men's curling (Getty Images)

Niklas Edin's Sweden, who beat Great Britain's world champion David Murdoch in a semi-final playoff, edged into the lead in the seventh end and after two blank ends, the match hung in the balance at 4-3 Sweden.

But with last stone advantage in the final end, Switzerland captured a last-gasp double score to take the win at the death and reclaim the bronze medal they won in Salt Lake City eight years ago.

"Eight years ago, we came out with a really bad performance in the semi-final," said Eggler. "This time it was easier for us. We lost the semifinal to Norway again, but we played really well.

"Today was a really tough game, I am proud to be a part of these seven guys."

Edin had overcome Eggler in the final of December's European Championships, needing an extra end score after the Swiss had levelled things up in the final end.

But this time, last-stone curler Ralph Stoeckli did more than level things up, squeezing a second scoring stone into the button after Edin's last attempt had drifted wide.

Stoeckli has regularly featured as skip throughout the tournament but he revealed the decision to hand the reins to Eggler freed him up to make the shot he needed to clinch victory.

"Definitely for me, it was a big help to just focus on my last shot," he said. "Playing skip was a big job, it took too much energy focusing on the skip part. Where we are now, I think it was the right choice."

"I was waiting for one guy to put his arm up. I had to wait until all the guys were sure had the two points and that bronze was ours."

There was little to choose between the two teams through the first five ends, with Eggler's one lapse in the fifth end allowing a double score from Edin for the Swedes to take a 3-2 lead.

The Swiss were making slow progress, scoring single points in the first, fourth and sixth ends but had the upper hand at the start of the eighth, lying 4-3 behind but with the hammer.

Two sloppy ends followed from Eggler's rink with Stoeckli leaving four scoring stones in a row in the ninth end for Edin to take out in one fell swoop.

But Stoeckli came through for the Swiss when it mattered in the final end, squeezing his final stone into the button where it glanced the scoring stone already in the house and gently came to rest for the win.

The men's final between unbeaten hosts, Kevin Martin's Canada and Thomas Ulsrud's Norway takes place at 15:00 local time at Vancouver Olympic Centre.

 AS IT HAPPENS: Day 16 of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver