The finals of the Japan Curling Championships were held on the final day of the 5th, and in the men's event SC Karuizawa won the Kitami Association 6-2 to win the tournament for the second time in a row.
The Japan Curling Championship held in Kitami City, Hokkaido, has nine men's and women's teams participating. In the men's final, the Kitami Association, which qualified for the first time and advanced to the final for the first time, and SC Karuizawa Club, who won last year's championship after qualifying second. It has become a match.
In the 4th end with a 1-1 tie, SC Karuizawa club lead 3-1 with skipper Riku Yanagisawa accurately scoring a draw shot from the outside line to the center of the house and scoring 2 points.
After that, in the 8th end, which was 3 to 2, SC Karuizawa Club's third player Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi and skip player Yanagisawa knocked out the opponent's stone in the house and moved their own stone to the center of the house. He continued to show shots, added a point, and pushed the 4-2 lead.
In the following ninth end, Yanagisawa decided to take out the opponent's two stones inside the house by repelling the stone outside the house, making a "double take-out". Scored 2 points.
As the opponent admitted defeat in the final 10th end, SC Karuizawa club won the Kitami Kyokai 6-2, winning the tournament for the 2nd consecutive time and the milestone 10th victory.
The SC Karuizawa club will participate in the World Championships held in Canada in April this year as a representative of Japan.
SC Karuizawa club Yanagisawa Riku and others are enthusiastic for the world championship
Riku Yanagisawa, skip player of the winning SC Karuizawa club, said, "In the qualifying and playoffs, we played against the Kitami Association, and we made many mistakes, and the opponent's shots were very good, so we all worked out a strategy last night. I'm very happy that I was able to come up with that strategy in the finals and surpass the world in terms of accuracy. We have the potential to win a medal, so we want to believe in what we've done and give it our all."
Satoshi Koizumi, the lead, said, "I wasn't well-prepared and didn't feel well, but I think I was able to contribute a little in the finals. I want to make good adjustments and aim for a medal at the World Championships." talked.
Second runner-up Jun Yamamoto commented, "As a team, it was a tournament where we wanted to win two consecutive titles, but as an individual, we weren't able to play the way we wanted last year. It's great that we were able to win," he said.
Takeshi Yamaguchi, third player, said, "I was able to have a hot battle with the Kitami Association, where my soul collided with my soul, and I really didn't back down, so it was a really fun Japan Championship. Last year's international tournament in Canada I felt frustrated at being beaten up, so I'm looking forward to taking on the challenge at the World Championships."