The South Korean women's curling team, known as '5G' and led by skip Kim Eun-ji, lost their opening match against the United States in a turnaround defeat during the round-robin stage of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The South Korean women's curling team, made up of players whose names mostly end with 'ji', is known as '5G' or 'Team Kim'. On December 12, 2022, they faced the U.S. team in their first match at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Despite starting the match strong with a score of 2-0 after two ends, the team could not maintain their lead. In the fourth end, they allowed the U.S. to equalize at 2-2 and fell behind in subsequent ends, ultimately losing 4-8.
The match was a fierce competition, with South Korea struggling in the latter half after taking the lead early on. The collapse of their strategy in the ninth end, where they aimed for a comeback but failed to score sufficient points, marked a turning point in the game. This unexpected loss serves as a reminder of the challenges the South Korean team faces in the international arena of curling, particularly in high-stakes competitions like the Olympics.
The South Korean team now prepares for their next match against the host country Italy, scheduled for the morning of December 13. This round-robin format will see a total of 10 teams compete against each other, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals for a chance to compete for medals.
