MOSCOW, March 24 (R-Sport) - Russia redeemed its loss in curling at the Sochi Olympics in style over the weekend, claiming a historic bronze medal at the women's world curling championships in Saint John, Canada.
Anna Sidorova's team bested a strong South Korea effort 7-6 on Sunday, winning Russia’s first global medal after two European championship victories.
"Bronze is a victory for us," Russian Curling Federation president Dmitry Svishchev told R-Sport. "I hope this is a first historic step towards recognition for Russia as a world curling power," he added.
In the final, Switzerland rallied from 5-3 down to stun hosts Canada 9-5 for a second world title in just three years.
Russia’s best result at the world championships previously stood at fifth place in the 2005 tournament. Sidorova earlier promised to reach the semifinals in Saint John after her team crashed out of the Sochi Games at the round robin stage with a 3-6 win-loss record, ahead of only the United States.
Coming less than a month after the Sochi Olympic tournament won by Canada, only a few of the teams – including Russia – fielded their strongest players.
