The South Korean women's curling team finished fourth at the 2025 World Championships and is looking forward to winning the 2026 Winter Olympics

Kim Eun-ji, the Korean women's curling national representative from Gyeonggi Province who finished fourth at the World Championships held at home stadium, said with tears in her eyes, "After participating in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, I have not given up for the past 11 years. I have to win a gold medal at the Olympics. ”

(From left) Coaches of the Gyeonggi Provincial Agency team Seo Ye-ji, Kim Eun-ji, Xue Ye-eun, Kim so-ji, Kim Min-ji, and Shin Dong-ho

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government Agency team, consisting of Kim Eun-ji, Kim Min-ji, Kim so-ji, Xue Ye-eun, and Xue Ye-ji, lost 4-9 to China led by Wang Rui in the bronze medal match of the 2025 LGT World Women's Curling Championship held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Ice Complex on the 23rd. At a press conference after the competition, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government team said, "With this tournament as an opportunity, we will continue to grow. At the Olympics, I will definitely do my best to achieve (the gold medal goal). ”

Although they lost to China in the final match of the tournament, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government team won the right to qualify for the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics for the Korean women's curling team. According to the rules, women's curling at the Winter Olympics is allocated based on the combined results of last year's and this year's World Championships.

On the 21st, at the 2025 LGT World Women's Curling Championships in South Korea and Italy, Kim Eun-ji of the Korean team looked at the curling after pitching

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office, which won the bronze medal last year, finished fourth this year and finished third in the Winter Olympics points ranking (21 points), securing a place for the Korean women's curling Games. It is worth mentioning that Kim Eun-ji, who participated in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, is looking forward to stepping on the Winter Olympics stage again after 12 years.

Kim Eun-ji recalled, "I once stepped on the Olympic stage, which all athletes dream of, but I didn't win a medal. "I didn't give up for 11 years with the idea that I would win a medal," said Kim Eun-ji, "as long as I don't give up, I think I will succeed one day." ”

Kim Eun-ji, who then looked at his sisters, said, "I didn't give up, I must go to the Olympics and work harder to win the gold medal." "The message was conveyed in an excited voice. For the Gyeonggi Provincial Agency team to represent South Korea at the 2026 Winter Olympics, they will have to win the gold medal at the 2025 Korea Curling Championships in June this year so that they can also wear the Tai Chi badge next season. They helped the South Korean team get the quota place for the Winter Olympics, but if they are not careful, other teams will step on the Olympic stage, and for the Gyeonggi Provincial Agency team, it may be unimaginable.

At the 2025 Women's World Curling Championships, South Korea is having a conversation between South Korea and Italy. From the right are Kim Min-ji, Xue Ye-eun, Kim Eun-ji, Kim so-ji

"In the process of participating in the World Championships, I know exactly what we should be more rational and what choices we will make when we are more urgent," Kim said. I will use this competition as an opportunity to think about our competition and how it will be run. ”

Kim so-ji also said: "In this tournament, the batting itself is not bad. If we can show more of this kind of hitting at the representative trials, I promise we will definitely participate in the Olympics." ”

Kim Eun-ji said: "If everyone supports our team and pays more attention to our team, we will definitely wear the Tai Chi badge at the national team selection tournament and let everyone see what has not been achieved in the Olympics." ”

Probably because the two consecutive days of defeat were too painful, the press conference turned into a sea of tears. The goal of this tournament is for the Gyeonggi Provincial Government team, which won the gold medal at the World Championships for the first time for South Korea, lost to the "world's strongest" Canadian team led by Homan in the semifinals on the 22nd and failed to reach the final, and then lost to the Chinese team 4-9 in the third-place match on the 23rd.

On the 19th, in the match between the South Korean team and the Canadian team at the 2025 Women's World Curling Championships, Canadian core Rezhe Homan was sweeping the ice

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government team originally wanted to rely on the cheers of the home fans to achieve a good start and finish results, but on the 23rd, they earnestly hoped to win the bronze medal before the game. In response, they also touched the bronze medal position of the podium set up next to the bench of the Korean team and sat for a while.

In the bronze medal match, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office team had a better rhythm at the beginning, but with the success of the Chinese team stealing points many times in the second half, they were psychologically unbalanced and failed to perform normally. Kim Eun-ji analyzed, "It seems that we did not respond well to the ice changes that occurred in the second half. "As we continue to steal points from each other, it also becomes difficult. The opponent already has a sense of hitting the ball in the second half, so it seems that there are some deficiencies in this regard. ”

Shin Dong-ho, head coach of Gyeonggi Provincial Office, said, "Yesterday in the match against 'Team Homan (Team Canada)', I missed the game that I was already able to master, and I was very shocked. Before today's game, the atmosphere was also a bit low. We have bigger goals. We will not stop there, but take this competition as an opportunity to further exercise and enrich. ”

On the 21st, during the match between the Korean team and the Italian team at the 2025 LGT World Women's Curling Championship, Kim so-ji of the Korean team was pitching.

Coach Shin said, "Our players have reached the world level. "We will fight for Olympic medals against Canada, Switzerland, Sweden and, ultimately, for mental strength," he said. He said, "According to the plan, we will run the competition unwaveringly, and the communication between the players will be more careful, and the part that I should make up for as a coach has been clarified, and I hope to challenge and make up for this part in the Olympics." ”

After a week's break, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government team will travel to Canada, where the 2025 Players Championship, a women's major curling tournament, will be held on the 1st of next month. At the Grand Slam tournament, which starts on April 8, they are aiming to win the title. Xue Yien made up her mind and said, "I don't want to make another mistake. I hope it will be a tournament that makes up for the shortcomings. This is the last competition before the national representative selection tournament, and I hope to make rational judgments and build good teamwork. ”

On the 20th, during the match between Canada and Switzerland at the 2025 LGT World Women's Curling Championships, the captain of the Canadian team, Reich Hohmann, was pitching.

Defending champions Canada defeated world No. 2 Switzerland led by Tillingcioni 7-3 in the final to win the 2025 Women's World Curling Championship and win the tournament for the second time in a row. In the final, the world's No. 1 team Canada was 2-3 down after the sixth game, but after winning two points in the seventh game, they stole two points in the eighth and ninth games and one point respectively, so the Swiss team shook hands and conceded defeat in advance.