The Philippines made history at the Asian Winter Games by advancing to the gold medal match in men’s curling, securing the country’s first-ever medal in the sport on Thursday at Pingfang Curling Arena in Harbin, China.
Led by skipper Marc Pfister, the history-making squad includes his brother Enrico Pfister, Alan Frei, Christian Haller, and Benjo Delarmente.
Together, they stunned host nation China with a thrilling 7-6 victory in the semifinals at the Harbin Pingfang Curling Arena on Thursday.
With a spot in the final on the line, the match was deadlocked at 6-all heading into the eighth and final end.
The Philippines, holding the hammer, capitalized on the last stone to score the decisive point, avoiding an extra-end battle and sealing their place in history.
Marc Pfister went for the takeout as there are two rocks left in the house, with that of the Chinese the closer one. The skip successfully removed the two stones in the house, leaving the last stone thrown, the shooter, the only remaining one inside for the game-winner.
The road to the final wasn’t easy. Trailing 1-4 at halftime, the Nationals regrouped and used the break to recalibrate their strategy.
Their turning point came in the fifth end when they erupted for four points, seizing the lead from the Chinese.
They then stole an additional point in the sixth, putting pressure on their opponents.
China, led by Xu Xiaoming, responded with two points in the seventh end, setting up a nerve-wracking finale.
However, the Filipinos held their composure, delivering the final blow to clinch the victory.
The gold medal match against Korea is set for 9 a.m. on Friday, the final day of this edition of the Games.
