Canada Tops Switzerland to Win Curling Mixed Doubles Gold Medal at 2018 Olympics

Canada have been crowned the inaugural curling mixed doubles champions after they beat Switzerland 10-3 to clinch the gold medal in Tuesday's final at the 2018 Winter Olympics. 

In the first running of this event at any Winter Olympics, the Canadian team of Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris swept their way to first place and led by seven points before Swiss counterparts Jenny Perret and Martin Rios called time. 

Canada edged ahead with an early four-pointer before steadily growing their lead through some tactical stones, although a nervous performance from Switzerland's Rios helped their cause.

Here's a look at the updated medal standings after Canada clinched gold in the mixed doubles curling final:

The two teams engaged in a tense tug of war in the first couple of ends, and Switzerland hit back immediately after surrendering two points in the opener, levelling at two points apiece through Perret.

Rios missed an opportunity to slow Canada's rise in the third end but failed to clear any of the opposition's four stones close to the house, allowing Lawes to clear up with the hammer for an early four-point swing in Canada's favour.

The achievement was all the more impressive considering CBC reporter Devin Heroux pointed out Canada's pair came into these Games at a marked disadvantage:

Morris and Lawes again demonstrated their great team dynamic at the climax of the fourth end, the former angling his stone to slow Switzerland's progress and lead 6-3 at the halfway mark.

After such a disastrous miss in the third end, Rios in particular appeared to be feeling the pressure of the occasion, which Heroux noted still appeared to be affecting him an end later:

Rios showed flashes of the shot selection that helped get Switzerland to the decider but saw the deficit increased to 10-3 after six ends, at which point Switzerland surrendered the result to their opponents.

Morris and Lawes may have only been together as a curling team for a short time but showed the pedigree of a pair playing together for years as they ran to victory with a couple of ends to spare.

Rios will have been disappointed not to have reached his best when it counted in the final, settling for silver while the Olympic Athletes from Russia clinched bronze with an 8-4 triumph over Norway.