Tirinzoni eyeing undefeated three-peat at world women’s curling championship

Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni is looking to accomplish a feat so few have done.

Win the world women’s curling championship while going undefeated.

It only has been done twice in tournament history – both accomplished by Canadian skips.

In 2017, Rachel Homan’s Ottawa-based rink went 13-0 in Beijing, China defeating Russia’s Anna Sidorova in the gold medal game.

The following year (2018), Jennifer Jones did the exact same thing with her team out of the St. Vital Curling Club in Winnipeg, – going 14-0 dispatching Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg 7-6 in the final match in North Bay, Ontario.

Tirinzoni told Vista Radio while they are not focused on the history books so much, it’s nice to be able to defend their title for the third consecutive year.

“It’s really, really what we came here for. It’s been such a long week and now that we have reached that goal is amazing so I have no words.”

The 42-year-old and her Zurich-based team are looking to become the first in tournament history to win three consecutive women’s world titles.

In 2019, Tirinzoni, Alina Patz, Esther Neuenschwander and Melane Barbezat reached the top of the mountain defeating Hasselborg and Sweden in Silkeborg, Denmark.

After the 2020 edition of the tournament slated for PG was cancelled due to the pandemic, the Swiss came back the following year (2021) to defeat Russia’s Alina Kovaleva in Calgary, which saw no fans attend.

This year, Switzerland has gone 13-0 to this point and when asked about what makes the foursome so special, Tirinzoni stated it all comes down to chemistry.

“I think we have been training like crazy really. We have been working so hard and we get along so well. All of the teams here are working hard but I am so proud of how we have gone four years with so much success.”

“We have done a lot of things right I think.”

Switzerland in many respects has become the country to beat during the women’s worlds winning the gold in six of the previous nine tournaments.

In 2012, Mirjam Ott upended Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson in Lethbridge, Alberta to get the ball rolling.

Patz, who throws fourth stones for Tirinzoni was an alternate on that team.

After Scotland’s Eve Muirhead won it all in 2013, the Swiss enjoyed a three-year reign with Binia Feltshcer claiming the crown twice in 2014 and 2016, while Patz skipped her own team to victory in 2015.

Patz led all fourths in this year’s round-robin curling at 88.8%.

Tirinzoni believes it’s a nice turnaround after last month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing where Switzerland went 8-1 in the round-robin only to come away empty-handed after dropping the bronze medal game to the Swedes 9-7.

“In the last year when it was so important she was at the top of her game but at our last game during the Olympics, she was not at her best but that happens. It’s happened to me a lot of times too. I have no bad feelings about that so it’s all good.”

Switzerland faces off against Korea in the gold medal game at 4:00 this afternoon at CN Centre.

Canada is playing for bronze at 11 a.m. against Sweden.

In the semis Saturday night, Korea beat Canada 9-6 and the Swiss got by Sweden 7-5.