Team Kim drop first game in Beijing to Canada

Kim Eun-jung competes during the curling women's round robin tournament at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics between Canada and Korea at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing on Thursday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Korea's Team Kim lost their opening game of the women's curling tournament at the 2022 Beijing Olympics on Thursday night, but still put in a solid performance as they look to defend their silver medal from the 2018 PyeongChang Games.

Team Kim took on Canada in their first game of the round robin tournament, losing the high-scoring match 12-7 at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing. Canada had earlier beaten Norway 6-5 in their first game of the tournament.

The loss puts Korea tied for seventh place in the round robin tournament with one game played, although Team Kim will be able to take some consolation from the fact that they were by far the highest scoring loser in the first round of games.

In the women's curling tournament, each team plays a total of nine games in the round robin tournament, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals. Games are played daily, although the draw may leave some teams with multiple games on one day and none on another.

Korea's Team Kim took silver at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, the first curling medal Korea has ever one. They may have finished second in the tournament, but the success of the group of friends and their emphatic leader Kim Eun-jung made them one of the biggest underdog success stories of the Games.

The team return to the ice this year with a slightly different formation but the same drive to try and bring home a second Olympic medal.

Team Kim will be back on the ice today for their second game of the tournament against Great Britain at 3:05 p.m.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]