Switzerland Once Again On Top of the Women's Curling World

There appears to be no stopping Switzerland at the World Women's Curling Championship.

For the third straight year, and fourth time in the last five years, a team representing Switzerland has won the championship.

With Mirjiam Ott taking the crown in 2012, and Alina Patz in 2015, Binia Feltscher won her second career championship last night in Swift Current, with her first coming back in 2014.

Feltscher's rink capped off their strong run in Swift Current, winning last night's gold medal game 9-6 over Japan's Satsuki Fujisawa.

Third for Team Switzerland Irene Schori was having a tough time putting her emotions into words following the team's victory.

"There are no words for this, it is just unbelievable. We had not the best year this season so in the end, with this gold medal it is unbelievable. It is feeling awesome," she said outside of the locker room.

Following a slow start to the game, which saw the two of the first three ends blanked, the game really began to pick up steam in the sixth end with both teams making key shots.

Trialing 2-1, Fujisawa scored the first deuce of the game in six, taking a 3-2 lead.

The game became very interesting in the seventh and eighth ends.

Following Japan scoring their two, Swiss skip Binia Feltscher picked out a Japanese stone in seven to score three points, while appearing to take control, leading the game 5-3.

However, that was not the case.

Just one end later, Fujisawa made a hit while just holding her shooter on the edge of the twelve-foot to score three right back and regain the advantage on the scoreboard 6-5.

A pair for Switzerland in nine gave them a one point lead coming home.

In the final end, Switzerland forced Japan to a shot for just one point and a tie, but Fujisawa was heavy on her draw to the four-foot, sliding her rock through the house.

Feltscher's team, along with the Swiss fans in attendance erupted at the conclusion of Fujisawa's shot.

Reflecting back on the game, Schori says her skipper (Feltscher) brought her 'A' game.

"Binia was on fire I think. She played really, really well and made some really great shots. We struggled a bit with sweeping and the Japanese played also a very great game so congrats to them," she said.

For Switzerland Head Coach Al Moore, who the team often refers to 'Crazy Uncle Al', he sees one simple ingredient in the team's success.

"Attitude, absolutely attitude. You can tell out there the way they play, it's the way they are and it's the kind of people they are so they just take their own personalities on to the ice with them and play without pressure, just play for fun and enjoy competing," he told the media following the win.

With four championships in the last five years from three different teams, Moore added their are plenty of stars in the sport to look up to in Switzerland.

"There is just another role model for all of the Swiss curlers. It's awesome, we keep having these role models and the young kids keep working harder and harder because they can see their is possible success in the future," he said.

On the other side of the coin, despite the loss in the final this year's championship was a tremendous run and experience for Team Japan.

"Obviously you want to win that game. You don't know when or if you will  ever get another shot at something like that, the world teams are getting so good now, you want to take advantage but for us this is uncharted territory and just to be in the final is a huge success," said Japan Head Coach JD Lind after the loss. "I'm just so happy the way they played today.

"They obviously didn't win but they played really well, they showed grace and I'm so proud of them."

All was not last for Team Japan in that one game though.

Despite coming out on the wrong end, Fujisawa and her rink still accomplished many firsts for a country still trying to make its way into the sport.

With their silver medal, Team Japan will return home with the countries first ever medal from the event.

Fujisawa's rink was also the first Japanese team to finish top two in round robing standings, while also being the first team out of Japan to reach the final.

"This journey is much longer then two weeks, that's for sure," Lind added. "I went to Japan in 2013, moving there with the goal of exactly this, coming and getting a medal and the girls shared that goal and they worked so hard over the last three seasons. I'm so glad that all that hard worked showed this weekend.

"Being 24, and on of the girls is 22, they have, I think a whole lot of room for growth still."

With the 2016 championship officially in the books, Swift Current passed on the hosting duties to Beijing, China, where the competition will be played next year from March 18-26.