26 Mar 2024 – The New Zealand Women's team recorded a historic first win at the recently concluded 2024 World Women's Championship, beating Scotland in their second game of the event in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

With the scores level at 6-6 and just her final stone of the game to come, NZ's Jess Smith faced a Scotland shot stone with no clear path to remove it. But she played a millimetre-perfect raised angle takeout to score two points and take an 8-6 win.

"That was pretty good, we played well as a team," she said of her side's performance. "We're getting better and better all the time and that's a nice feeling."

The win came after a promising start, forcing Japan to the final stone on the opening day.

A second win was almost in their grasp when they held a guarded shot stone while trying to steal the extra end against Estonia. But with her final shot, Estonian skip Erika Tuvike threw a long-range raised takeout to remove the Kiwi stone and secure the win for her team.

The Kiwi side of Jess Smith, Courtney Smith, Bridget Becker, Holly Thompson and Natalie Thurlow, supported by coach Sean Becker, finished at the bottom of the 13-team field with their one win. They qualified for the tournament with a fifth placing at last November's Pan Continental Championships.

Although this was the team's second consecutive World Championship, it was the first in the two-year qualification period for the 2026 Winter Olympics. So the team also earned the first Olympic Qualification point for New Zealand Women.

"It was a great feeling to get that first win on the board", said Jess Smith after the event. "A little frustrating with how close we came in some of those other games, but I think we can come away feeling proud of our achievements. I think the key for us moving forward is just having more game time together and to get more consistent."

"We are super grateful for everyone who helped us get to the World Championships. We are looking forward to our NZ season starting soon."

In the tournament playoffs, Canada won the gold medal match against Switzerland and Italy beat Korea for the bronze. Sweden and Denmark were fifth and sixth respectively. Other teams were ranked according to their round-robin standings.

• World Curling Tournament page
• World Curling news: NZ settling into World Championship
• World Curling full results
• NZ record at World Women's Championship
• Team Smith Curling: Facebook / Instagram

NZ Results

All images © World Curling

From left: Natalie Thurlow, Courtney Smith, Jess Smith, Bridget Becker, Holly Thompson

Courtney Smith and Holly Thompson, NZ v Japan

NZ celebrate their win against Scotland