Russia defeated China 7-5 to win gold at the world mixed doubles curling championship at the Lofbergs Lila Arena. The United States outscored Scotland 9-7 to win the bronze. Saskatoon’s Dustin Kalthoff and Marliese Kasner topped Estonia 8-2 to give Canada a fifth-place result. The combined results of the 2016 and 2017 world mixed doubles events will decide the seven teams who will join host South Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

What is Curling?

Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice towards a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules and shuffleboard.

Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called rocks, across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a circular target marked on the ice. Each team has eight stones.

The purpose is to accumulate the highest score for a game. Points are scored for the stones resting closest to the centre of the house at the conclusion of each end, which is completed when both teams have thrown all of their stones.