Sweden's Edin makes a "one in a 1,000" game-tying spinner at world curling playdowns

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press? Apr 5, 2023 2:00 PM

Sweden skip Niklas Edin reacts to a shot as they take on Japan at the Men's World Curling Championship in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

加拿大 - 周三，當(dāng)尼克拉斯-埃?。∟iklas Edin）在瑞典對陣挪威的比賽第10局中嘗試旋轉(zhuǎn)投籃時(shí)，人們認(rèn)為這可能是馬戲團(tuán)的一次表演，在TD廣場聽到了一些笑聲。 當(dāng)他真正做到的時(shí)候，喘息聲夾雜著難以置信的尖叫聲響了起來。 埃丁是世界男子冰壺比賽的衛(wèi)冕冠軍，他以一記超凡脫俗的投籃將比賽扳平，讓這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動中最老練的投石者不知所措。 "體育界有這樣的時(shí)刻，有時(shí)這一刻比比賽的結(jié)果更重要，"冰壺評論員泰勒-喬治說，他在2018年贏得了奧運(yùn)會金牌。 "只要我活著，我就會記住這個(gè)鏡頭。" 現(xiàn)場的其他廣播員也感到驚嘆。 "這太瘋狂了。這是我一生中見過的最好的投籃，"拉斯-霍華德--兩屆世界冠軍和2006年奧運(yùn)會冠軍--在TSN的廣播中說。 1998年奧運(yùn)會銀牌得主邁克-哈里斯也有同樣的想法。 "最佳射門，是的，"他在一條短信中說。"最富有想象力的肯定是。" 倒下了兩塊，看著八英尺環(huán)的一側(cè)錯(cuò)開的石頭，愛丁的石頭像個(gè)陀螺一樣旋轉(zhuǎn)著順著石板走了下來。 額外的動作使石頭的卷曲程度遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過了平時(shí)。一塊正常的石頭通常只旋轉(zhuǎn)幾圈。 "冰壺賠率師馬特-霍爾（Matt Hall）說："這很容易是我在冰壺運(yùn)動中見過的最令人難以置信的一擊，他是2019年世界青少年冠軍，擁有數(shù)學(xué)碩士學(xué)位。 "我計(jì)算了53.5次旋轉(zhuǎn)，（它）在第47次旋轉(zhuǎn)時(shí)接觸了。" 這塊石頭在接近圓環(huán)時(shí)用力卷曲，在它揮舞著將挪威石塊從瑞典石塊上拍下之前，錯(cuò)過了幾個(gè)守衛(wèi)。 在接觸之后，它滾到了八英尺的后面，并為一個(gè)扳平比分的兩分球做了足夠的安頓，這一點(diǎn)在測量中得到了確認(rèn)。 埃丁說："這基本上是理論上唯一的兩分球，"埃丁說。"我沒有其他東西可以嘗試。幸運(yùn)的是，我做得很好，足以獲得額外的（結(jié)束）。但我今天只是錯(cuò)過了太多容易的球。" 挪威隊(duì)在第11局中得到一個(gè)單桿，以8比7獲勝，使瑞典隊(duì)在循環(huán)賽中遭遇首場失敗。 喬治說，由于石頭的位置不同，挑戰(zhàn)在于如何以恰到好處的角度敲擊石頭，在不移動后面的石頭的情況下越過頂部。 "他說："由于它的所有旋轉(zhuǎn)，尼克拉斯讓它在最后基本上是側(cè)身行走，仍然有足夠的重量把它推向那邊，然后從它身上踢開，也留在環(huán)中。 "我的意思是，如果沒有一個(gè)帶有大約10支箭的望遠(yuǎn)鏡，就很難解釋它。只是一個(gè)非凡的時(shí)刻。" 埃丁沒有為這一球命名--"直升機(jī) "或 "旋轉(zhuǎn)的陀螺 "可能是競爭者------他只是簡單地稱其為 "旋轉(zhuǎn)者"。 "這是唯一可能的事情，"他說 "否則就是握手言和，所以不妨。" 在測量結(jié)果確認(rèn)得分后，挪威球員們鼓掌表示感謝--與大樓里的幾乎所有人一起。 "我們知道它就在那里，"埃丁說。"這只是非常艱難的結(jié)果。能夠準(zhǔn)確地?fù)糁心莻€(gè)位置是非常幸運(yùn)的。" 埃丁補(bǔ)充說，這是你在職業(yè)生涯中可能遇到的一兩次情況。 他說："我試過幾次，是為了好玩，但我從來沒有練習(xí)過，真正要做的時(shí)候，"他說。"對于新的紙質(zhì)巖石，這可能是千分之一。"

媒體席上的廣播員和世界冰壺聯(lián)合會的工作人員對他們所目睹的一切感到非常驚訝。 "喬治說："我認(rèn)為我們在展臺上也發(fā)出了一種聲音。"我不認(rèn)為那是語言，那只是興奮。你在那一刻變成了一個(gè)球迷。" 37歲的埃丁是奧運(yùn)會衛(wèi)冕冠軍，已經(jīng)連續(xù)贏得了四個(gè)世界冠軍。 "你真的不期望這樣，"喬治說。"但他是有史以來最偉大的。期待任何事情。" 加拿大新聞社的這篇報(bào)道于2023年4月5日首次發(fā)表。 在Twitter上關(guān)注@GregoryStrongCP。 Gregory Strong, 加拿大新聞社 ———————————————————— OTTAWA — Thinking it may have been a circus throw for show, some laughs were heard at TD Place when Niklas Edin tried a spin shot in the 10th end of Sweden's game against Norway on Wednesday. Gasps mixed with shrieks of incredulity rang out when he actually made it. Edin, the defending champion at the world men's curling playdowns, tied the game with an otherworldly shot that left the sport's most seasoned rock-throwers at a loss for words. "There's these moments in sports where sometimes the moment is bigger than the result of the game," said curling commentator Tyler George, who won Olympic gold in 2018. "I will remember that shot for as long as I live." Other broadcasters on site were also wowed. "That's insane. That's the best shot I've ever seen in my life," Russ Howard — a two-time world champ and 2006 Olympic champion — said on the TSN broadcast. Mike Harris, a 1998 Olympic silver medallist, echoed those thoughts. "Best shot, yes," he said in a text. "Most imaginative for sure." Down two and looking at a stone staggered the wrong way on the side of the eight-foot ring, Edin's rock spun like a top as it made its way down the sheet. The extra action allowed the rock to curl much more than usual. A normal stone usually rotates just a few times. "Easily the most unbelievable shot I've ever seen in curling," said curling oddsmaker Matt Hall, a 2019 world junior champ with a master's degree in mathematics. "I counted 53.5 rotations, (it) made contact on the 47th rotation."? The stone curled hard as it approached the rings, missed a couple of guards before it swung in to tap the Norwegian stone off the Swedish rock.? After making contact, it rolled to the back of the eight-foot and settled just enough for a game-tying deuce that was confirmed on a measure. "It was basically the only shot that was there theoretically for two," Edin said. "I had nothing else to try. Luckily I made it just good enough to get the extra (end). But I just missed too many easy shots today." Norway scored a single in the 11th end for an 8-7 win, handing the Swedes their first loss of round-robin play.

George said that with the rocks' positioning, the challenge was to tap the stone at just the right angle to go over the top without moving the rock behind it.? "With all the rotation it had, Niklas got it to basically walk sideways at the end, still have enough weight to push it that way and then kick off of it and stay in the rings too," he said. "I mean without a telestrator with about 10 arrows, it's tough to explain it. Just a remarkable moment." Edin didn't have a name for the shot — the 'helicopter' or 'spinning top' might be contenders — — and simply called it "a spinner."? "That was the only thing possible," he said "Otherwise it's handshakes, so might as well." The Norwegian players clapped in appreciation — along with almost everyone else in the building — after the measurement confirmed the score. "We knew it was there," Edin said. "It's just very tough to make. It's very lucky to hit that exact spot." Edin added it was a situation that you might encounter once or twice in your career. "I tried it a few times for fun but I never practised it to actually have to do it," he said. "With newly papered rocks, it's one in a thousand maybe."

The broadcasters and World Curling Federation staffers on the media bench were left abuzz at what they had witnessed. "I think a noise came out of us in the booth too," George said. "I don't think it was words, it was just excitement. You turn into a fan for a moment." The 37-year-old Edin, the reigning Olympic champion, has won four world titles in a row. "You really don't expect that," George said. "But he's the greatest ever. Expect anything." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023. Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.? Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press