Johan Niklas Edin (born 6 July 1985) is a Swedish
curler. He currently resides in
Karlstad
Karlstad (, ) is the 20th-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city proper had 65,856 inhabitants in 2020 with 95,167 inhabitants ...
, which has been his curling home base since 2008. He holds several sport distinctions. He is the first and the only
skip
Skip or Skips may refer to:
Acronyms
* SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene
* Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol
* SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aidin ...
in World Curling Federation (WCF) history to win three Olympic medals – gold (2022), silver (2018), and bronze (2014) – and to skip men's curling teams to six
World Men's Curling Championship
The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and mixed doubles championships, as well as men's ...
medals (2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022). He is also a seven-time European Curling Championship titleholder (2009, 2012, 2014–2017, 2019) and also won three silver medals in those championships (2011, 2018, 2021). He is currently tied with Oskar Eriksson in first place on the WCF-recognized list of championship medals, with thirty-eight in total. He reached the playoffs in thirty-seven
Grand Slam of Curling
The Grand Slam of Curling (branded as the Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling for sponsorship reasons) is a series of curling bonspiels that are a part of the annual World Curling Tour. Grand Slam events offer a purse of at least CAD$100,000, and f ...
events and won the Pinty's Cup with his current teammates, Oskar Eriksson, Rasmus Wranå, and Christopher Sundgren. With the same lineup in 2022, Edin and his teammates also became the first and only men's curling team to win a fourth consecutive World Men's Curling Championship. Edin has played exclusively in the position of skip since 2007. The team bearing his name has been ranked on the World Curling Tour as high as No. 1, including for most of the 2017–18 season. As of the end of the 2021–22 Curling Season, Team Edin was ranked in the top three teams in the world.
Career
Beginnings
Niklas Edin participated in as many as ten different sports simultaneously before he took up curling.
He started curling in 1999, inspired in part by the Swedish women's team skipped by
Elisabet Gustafson
Karin Elisabet Gustafson (born 2 May 1964) is a retired Swedish curler, world champion and Olympic medalist. She has won four World Championships, more World Championships than any other women's curler.
Career
Gustafson made her debut onto the ...
when they secured the bronze medal at the
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
.
Five years later in 2004, Edin skipped his own team to a
World Junior Curling Championship title for Sweden, defeating the team skipped by Stefan Rindlisbacher for Switzerland. The following year, Edin was selected as the alternate for the silver medal-winning Swedish team skipped by
Nils Carlsén at the
World Junior Curling Championships
The World Junior Curling Championships are an annual curling bonspiel featuring the world's best curlers who are 21 years old or younger. The competitions for both men and women occur at the same venue. The men's tournament has occurred since 1 ...
. Edin also skipped a new team in 2005 to a silver medal at the
European Mixed Curling Championships
The European Mixed Curling Championship was a mixed curling tournament held annually in the autumn for European nations. The first tournament was held in 2005.
The European Mixed Curling Championship was replaced with a World Mixed Curling Champ ...
, together with future longtime teammate
Sebastian Kraupp
Sebastian Kraupp (born 20 May 1985) is a Swedish curler from Karlstad, Sweden. He currently coaches the Swedish men's junior team.
From 2005 to 2008 Sebastian Kraupp skipped his own team. Starting with the 2008–2009 season he joined Niklas Ed ...
. In 2006, Edin won a second silver medal at the
World Junior Curling Championships
The World Junior Curling Championships are an annual curling bonspiel featuring the world's best curlers who are 21 years old or younger. The competitions for both men and women occur at the same venue. The men's tournament has occurred since 1 ...
, this time playing third for Team Carlsén. The team also qualified for the
2006 World Men's Curling Championship, finishing in fifth place.
Over the next two years, Edin proved his skills with a variety of teams on an international level. In 2007, Edin skipped a new team, playing this time with his future teammates in the senior division
Fredrik Lindberg
Bengt Fredrik Lindberg (born 2 February 1986) is a Swedish curler from Karlstad. Lindberg grew up in Östersund.
From 2006 until 2008 he played both Third and Second positions for Sebastian Kraupp. In 2009 he and Kraupp joined Niklas Edin's ...
and
Kristian Lindström
Kristian Lindström (born 4 November 1989) is a Swedish curler and coach, originally from Uppsala.
Career Juniors
As a junior curler, Lindström played in three World Junior Curling Championships. His first was the 2007 World Junior Curling Ch ...
, at the
World Junior Championships, winning his third silver junior championship medal. In 2008, Edin also skipped yet another team to the bronze medal at the 2008
European Mixed Curling Championships
The European Mixed Curling Championship was a mixed curling tournament held annually in the autumn for European nations. The first tournament was held in 2005.
The European Mixed Curling Championship was replaced with a World Mixed Curling Champ ...
, with
Anna Hasselborg playing third. In 2007 and 2008, Edin joined up with Team Scotland to represent Sweden in the
Contintental Cup and was the only participant from Sweden in 2007. As Sweden has participated in the Cup every other year, Edin's 2007 appearance has ensured that Sweden is the only European country to appear in every Continental Cup.
Team Edin I (2008–2014)
In the spring of 2008, Edin moved to Karlstad along with
Sebastian Kraupp
Sebastian Kraupp (born 20 May 1985) is a Swedish curler from Karlstad, Sweden. He currently coaches the Swedish men's junior team.
From 2005 to 2008 Sebastian Kraupp skipped his own team. Starting with the 2008–2009 season he joined Niklas Ed ...
,
Fredrik Lindberg
Bengt Fredrik Lindberg (born 2 February 1986) is a Swedish curler from Karlstad. Lindberg grew up in Östersund.
From 2006 until 2008 he played both Third and Second positions for Sebastian Kraupp. In 2009 he and Kraupp joined Niklas Edin's ...
, and
Viktor Kjäll
Viktor Erik Kjäll ( anglicized as Kjell; born 13 June 1985) is a Swedish curler originally from Karlstad.
Curling career
Viktor Kjäll made his World Championship debut at the 2007 Edmonton World Championships as the Second for Sweden's mo ...
to form a new team, choosing the
Karlstad Curling Club
Karlstad (, ) is the 20th-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city proper had 65,856 inhabitants in 2020 with 95,167 inhabitan ...
as their curling home. Together, the new team filled the void in Swedish men's curling left by the retirement of
Peja Lindholm
Peter "Peja" Rutger Lindholm (born 2 June 1970 in Östersund, Sweden) is a retired Swedish curler. Lindholm is currently a coach of the Chinese Curling Association.https://olympics.com/beijing-2022/olympic-games/en/results/curling/athlete-prof ...
and quickly became seen in Sweden as the team most likely to have success on the international curling circuit. In 2009, Team Edin won Sweden's Elite Series as well as the Swedish National Championship.
The team also represented Sweden at the
Winter Universiade
The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad".
The Universiade is referred t ...
and won the gold medal. That same season, Team Sweden, led by Mattias Mabergs, finished in 8th place at the
2008 European Curling Championships and fell short in two of three tight games against Finland in the relegation challenge for the
2009 World Men's Curling Championship. No Swedish team, therefore, could compete at the world championships that year.
In the 2009-2010 season, Team Edin was clearly considered the frontrunner for Sweden's national team. In December 2009, the team won the gold medal at the
2009 European Curling Championships, their first appearance at the championship. During the 2010 Elite Series, however, they lost a tough final to their closest rivals, Team Carlsén, by the score of 6-5. Team Carlsén was selected for the
2010 World Men's Curling Championship but underperformed with a 4-7 loss. Team Edin, however, was selected to participate in the
2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
. They barely missed the medal platform, placing fourth and losing the bronze medal game to Switzerland. They also cemented their status over their closest rivals Team Carlsén by winning the Swedish Curling Championships.
Team Edin's 2010–11 season continued to advance their status as the top team in Sweden by winning Sweden's Elite Series championships. On the World Curling Tour, the team also started off strongly by winning the
Oslo Cup and making the finals of the
Baden Masters. At the
2010 European Curling Championships
The 2010 Le Gruyère European Curling Championships were held in Champéry, Switzerland from December 3–11, 2010. The Group C matches took place from September 24–28 at the Greenacres Ice Rink in Howwood, Scotland. The winners of the Group ...
, the team was unable to secure a playoff spot but made up for this by winning a bronze medal at the
2011 World Men's Curling Championship. On the
World Curling Tour
The World Curling Tour (WCT) is a group of curling bonspiels featuring the best male, female, and mixed doubles curlers in the world.
History
The World Curling Tour was founded by former World Champion Ed Lukowich, with later assistance from Jo ...
, Team Edin also made it to two
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
quarterfinals – the
Masters and the
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
– as well as the Perth Masters semifinals. The team ended their season by becoming the first non-Canadian team to make it to a men's Grand Slam final at the
2011 Players' Championship
The 2011 GP Car and Home Players' Championship was a Grand Slam curling bonspiel held at the Crystal Centre in Grande Prairie, Alberta from April 12–17. It features a men's and women's draw, where the top sixteen teams from the Order of Merit ...
, losing in the final to Team
Kevin Martin.
Edin's rink continued their success into the 2011–12 season. The season became their best year at the Grand Slams, reaching the playoffs in three slams, including the semifinals of the
Masters and
Canadian Open and the quarterfinals at the
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
. They also successfully defended their title at the
Oslo Cup, as well as repeated their Elite Series title win.
In the international curling championships, they first won a silver medal at the
2011 European Curling Championships
The 2011 Le Gruyère European Curling Championships were held in Moscow, Russia from December 2 to 10.[Thomas Ulsrud
Thomas Ulsrud (21 October 1971 – 24 May 2022) was a Norwegian curler from Oslo. He won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics, one World Curling Championship, two European Curling Championships, and fourteen Norwegian titles ( Norwegian M ...](_blank)
. Later that season, the team won its second bronze medal at the
2012 World Men's Curling Championship. Edin played three games through severe pain with significant injuries, requiring the team to be reshuffled with Sebastian Kraupp skipping for the team, Fredrik Lindberg moving up to the third position, and
Oskar Eriksson
Oskar Ingemar Eriksson (born 29 May 1991) is a Swedish curler from Karlstad. He currently plays third for the Niklas Edin rink. He is the first curler in history to win four Olympic medals – gold, silver, and two bronze – and the first to ...
curling in the second position through the bronze medal game.
The 2012–13 season became Edin's best season up until that point in time. Nationally, they won a third straight Elite Series title.
Internationally, they only reached one Grand Slam playoff - the quarterfinal at the
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
. They also, however, won their third straight
Oslo Cup and the
Victoria Curling Classic. Their biggest success came by peaking when it counted in the international championships, taking two important gold medals in the same season. The first came at the
2012 European Curling Championships
The 2012 European Curling Championships was held from December 7 to 15 at the Löfbergs Lila Arena and the Karlstad Curling Club in Karlstad, Sweden. The Group A competitions was held at the Löfbergs Lila Arena, while the Group B competitions wa ...
where they beat Team Ulsrud in the final. The team then won the
2013 World Curling Championship, giving Edin his first world championship gold medal. It was also the first time since 2004 that a Swedish men's curling team had won a world championship title.
The 2013–14 season was not as successful for the Edin rink, becoming their first without any title. They achieved their best success reaching the semifinals of the
Shorty Jenkins Classic
The AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic (formerly known as the M&M Meat Shops Shorty Jenkins Classic, CIBC Trust Shorty Jenkins Classic and just the Shorty Jenkins Classic) is an annual curling tournament, held in September at the Cornwall Curli ...
, beating Kevin Martin in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the team reached the playoffs of only one Grand Slam, finishing in the quarterfinals of the
Masters, along with the quarterfinals of the
Baden Masters and
Cactus Pheasant Classic. The team also finished with a disappointing 5th place at the
2013 European Curling Championships
The 2013 European Curling Championships were held from November 22 to 30 at the Sørmarka Arena in Stavanger, Norway. Norway last hosted the European Curling Championships in 1990. The Group C competitions were held in October at the Tårnby Curl ...
. At the
2014 Winter Olympics
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
, Sweden finished in first-place after the round-robin, with an 8–1 record but lost a tight match to the Great Britain team skipped by
David Murdoch
David Matthew Murdoch (born 17 April 1978) is a retired Scottish curler from Stirling. As the Scotland skip, he and his former team of Ewan MacDonald, Warwick Smith, Euan Byers and Peter Smith are the 2006 and 2009 World Curling Champion ...
in the semi-final. Following this defeat, the team defeated China's
Liu Rui
Liu Rui (; born March 13, 1982 in Harbin, Heilongjiang; sometimes known as Rui Lui) is a Chinese curler. He was the skip of the Chinese men's Olympic Curling Team at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Liu played in his first World Curling Championships ...
to win the bronze medal, giving Edin the first Olympic medal of his career.
The last months of the 2013-14 season signaled the eventual end of what was then known as Team Edin. Because the team had increased their international travel and the time spent in Canada to become more competitive, they had to skip the Swedish Curling Championships and withdrew from the Elite Series, despite leading the series before the finals. The Swedish Curling Federation then chose the team led by
Oskar Eriksson
Oskar Ingemar Eriksson (born 29 May 1991) is a Swedish curler from Karlstad. He currently plays third for the Niklas Edin rink. He is the first curler in history to win four Olympic medals – gold, silver, and two bronze – and the first to ...
to represent Sweden at the
2014 World Men's Curling Championship
The 2014 World Men's Curling Championship was held from March 29 to April 6 at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China.
Norway's Thomas Ulsrud defeated Sweden's Oskar Eriksson in the final with a score of 8–3, securing his first world tit ...
, with Eriksson skipping a team including future Team Edin members
Christoffer Sundgren
Kjell Tommy Christoffer Sundgren (born 31 July 1989) is a Swedish curler. He currently plays lead for the Swedish national team, skipped by Niklas Edin. The World Curling Federation's historical records rank Sundgren as one of the most successfu ...
and Kristian Lindström. The choice of Team Eriksson reflected that they had success on the World Curling Tour and were competitive with Team Edin, but also won the Swedish Men's Curling Championships and lost a close final in the Elite Series, coming in second place. The team went on to live up to expectations by winning the silver World Championship medal. This also meant, however, that Team Edin was unable to defend their 2013 championship win. Instead, the team finished the season reaching the semifinals of the Pomeroy Inn & Suites Prairie Showdown, followed by a disappointing sixth-place finish at the European Masters. At the end of the season, the team formally announced that they were disbanding, with Niklas Edin eager to continue, but with Sebastian Kraupp and Fredrik Lindberg concerned about their ability to train and compete as necessary to reach the top of the World Curling Tour rankings while focusing on their future careers.
Team Edin II (2014–2016)
In May 2014, Edin and Team Eriksson came to an agreement to form a new Team Edin, with Edin skipping the team in the fourth position and Oskar Eriksson playing third, Kristian Lindström at second, and Christoffer Sundgren as lead.
[.] The new team immediately saw their increased potential and aimed to become the number one team in the world.
The 2014–15 season indeed became a golden year for the new Team Edin, as the team first won the gold medal at the
2014 European Curling Championships
The 2014 European Curling Championships were held November 22 to 29 at the Palladium de Champéry in Champéry, Switzerland. Switzerland last hosted the European Curling Championships in 2010, when it was also held in Champéry. The Group C com ...
. Edin skipped Team Sweden to a perfect 11–0 record to win the European Championship, defeating Norway's Team Ulsrud in the final game, giving Edin his third European Championship gold. Team Edin then capped off the season by winning the World Championship gold medal at the
2015 Ford World Men's Curling Championship. While the team lost three round-robin games, they rallied in the playoffs defeating Finland, Canada, and then their Norwegian rivals once again to pick up the championship. The victory meant that Edin and Eriksson held the gold medals at both the European and World Championships for the second time in a single curling season. That season, the team also reached their second career Grand Slam final, losing in the
inaugural
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugur ...
Elite 10 event.
![NiKlas Edin holding broom Elite 10](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/NiKlas_Edin_holding_broom_Elite_10.jpg)
During the
2015–16 curling season
The 2015–16 curling season began in August 2015 and ended in May 2016.
''Note: In events with two genders, the men's tournament winners will be listed before the women's tournament winners.''
Curling Canada sanctioned events
This section lists ...
, Team Edin picked up their second straight European Curling Championship gold medal when they won the
2015 European Curling Championships
The 2015 European Curling Championships were held from November 20 to 28 in Esbjerg, Denmark. Denmark last hosted the European Curling Championships in 1996 in Copenhagen. The Group C competitions were held during October in Champéry, Switzer ...
, this time defeating Switzerland's
Peter de Cruz
Peter Vincent de Cruz (born 4 January 1990) is a Swiss curler. He is an Olympic bronze medallist for Switzerland, having skipped his Swiss rink to a third place finish at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. While de Cruz is the skip of his ...
in the final. The team found less success at
that season's World Championships, placing sixth. The team became increasingly competitive, however, at the Grand Slams, reaching the playoffs in the
Masters, the
Canadian Open,
Players' Championship
The Players' Championship is one of the final events on the World Curling Tour (WCT) and is a part of the Grand Slam of Curling.
From 2016 to 2019, it was the penultimate slam of the curling season, and the last of the four "majors". The even ...
, and the
Champions Cup. The team also won the
Baden Masters, reached the finals of the
European Masters and finished in third place at the Karuizawa International, as well as the German Masters. At the end of the season, Lindström was forced to take a break from curling, requiring a shoulder operation and needing recovery.
Team Edin III (2016–present)
2016-2018: Grand Slam history and third World Championship
During
2016–17 curling season
The 2016–17 curling season began in August 2016 and ended in April 2017.
''Note: In events with two genders, the men's tournament winners will be listed before the women's tournament winners.''
Curling Canada sanctioned events
This section lis ...
, Rasmus Wranå became Team Edin's new second and the final member to join the current Team Edin. The team had one of its greatest seasons, winning three
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
events, starting with the
2016 WFG Masters, a win that also made curling history as Team Edin became the first non-Canadian skip to win a men's Grand Slam event. Later that same season, Team Edin became the first non-Canadian team to win the
Tour Challenge and the
Player's Championship. As a result, Team Edin also became the only non-Canadian team currently to have won more than one Slam. His team also finished the season in first place on the Tour in terms of order-of-merit points and money won, becoming the first time a non-Canadian team won the Pinty's Cup. Team Edin also won the
2016 European Curling Championships
The 2016 European Curling Championships were held from November 18 to 26 in Braehead, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Scotland last hosted the European Curling Championships in 2009 in Aberdeen. The Group C competitions will be held in April in Ljubljana, ...
– the second for the new Team Edin and the fifth for Edin and his teammate Eriksson. Team Edin also made the finals of the
2017 World Men's Curling Championship, winning a silver medal after falling short in the final to Team Canada (skipped by
Brad Gushue
Bradley Raymond Gushue, ONL ( ; born June 16, 1980) is a Canadian curler from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Gushue, along with teammates Russ Howard, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam, represented Canada in curling at the 2006 W ...
).
In the
2017–18 curling season, Team Edin had of one their most successful seasons, winning the gold medal at the
European Curling Championships
The European Curling Championships are annual curling tournaments held in Europe between various European nations. The European Curling Championships are usually held in early to mid December. The tournament also acts as a qualifier for the World ...
, the silver medal for the men's team at
2018 Winter Olympics
, nations = 93
, athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women)
, events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening =
, closing =
, opened_by = President Moon Jae-in
, cauldron = Kim Yun-a
, stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium
, winte ...
(losing to the United States team skipped by
John Shuster
John Shuster ( ; born November 3, 1982) is an American curler who lives in Superior, Wisconsin. He led Team USA to gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics, the first American team to ever win gold in curling. He also won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winte ...
), and then avenged their loss at the 2017 Worlds by defeating Team Gushue in the finals of the
2018 World Men's Curling Championship, giving Edin his third World Championship gold medal. The team also won the
Baden Masters,
Curling Masters Champery, and
Perth Masters, and reached the finals of three Grand Slam of Curling events -
the Masters
The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...
,
the Canadian Open, and
the Players' Championship.
2018-2022:The Road to World Championship History and Olympic Gold
In the
2018–19 curling season, at the
2018 European Curling Championships, Team Edin went undefeated in the tournament until the final, where they lost to Scotland's rink skipped by
Bruce Mouat
Bruce Mouat (; born 27 August 1994 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish curler. He is an Olympic silver medallist, having skipped Great Britain to a second place finish in the men's team event at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Career
Mouat had a very su ...
. They again represented Sweden at the
2019 World Men's Curling Championship
The 2019 World Men's Curling Championship (branded as the 2019 Pioneer Hi-Bred World Men's Curling Championship for sponsorship reasons) was held from March 30 to April 7 at the ENMAX Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
Qualification
The foll ...
, winning the gold medal over Team Canada's
Kevin Koe
Kevin Koe ( ; born January 11, 1975) is a Canadian curler. Koe is a two-time World champion and four-time Canadian champion. He was the skip of the Canadian men's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
Originally from Yellowknife
...
. It was Edin's fourth career World championship, tying
Ernie Richardson's record of four World championships as a skip. Edin's win was significant, however, as he is the only skip to reach this milestone since the World Championships (formerly known as the Scotch Cup) expanded to three or more teams, with Richardson's first two Championships secured in contests between only two teams (Canada and Scotland). Edin also played in all four legs of the
inaugural Curling World Cup, losing in the finals of the
second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
and
third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
legs.
Team Edin had a slow start to the
2019–20 season but also reached new milestones as the season progressed. After finishing as the runner-up at the
Baden Masters, they did not qualify for the playoffs at the first Grand Slam, the
2019 Masters. They then reached the bronze medal position at the Swiss Cup Basel, and made the playoffs at the
2019 Tour Challenge
The 2019 KIOTI TRACTOR Tour Challenge was held from November 5 to 10, at the Pictou County Wellness Centre in Westville Road, Nova Scotia. It was the second Grand Slam event of the 2019–20 season.
In the men's tier 1 final, Brad Jacobs of ...
before losing to Team
Brad Gushue
Bradley Raymond Gushue, ONL ( ; born June 16, 1980) is a Canadian curler from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Gushue, along with teammates Russ Howard, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam, represented Canada in curling at the 2006 W ...
in the quarters. In November 2019, however, Team Edin won a record seventh European Curling Curling Championship at the
2019 European Curling Championships
The 2019 Le Gruyère AOP European Curling Championships was held in 2019 to qualify European curling teams for the 2020 World Curling Championships and World Qualification Event. The A and B division competitions were held from November 16 to 23 a ...
. In December, the team also reached their tenth final at a Grand Slam of Curling event when they reached the final of the
Boost National, losing to Team Brad Jacobs. The team finished the year in Japan at the Karuizawa International, coming in second to Team Matsumura. As the new year began, Team Edin rejoined Team Europe and successfully defended their
Continental Cup of Curling
The Continental Cup is a curling tournament held annually between teams from North America (sometimes just Canada) against teams from the rest of the World (sometimes just Europe). Each side is represented by six teams (three women's teams and thr ...
title, though they did not reach the playoffs at the
2020 Canadian Open. In February 2020, Team Edin won the
Swedish Men's Curling Championships and thus cemented their right to compete for their third straight World Men's Championship title. Unfortunately, the
2020 World Men's Curling Championship was cancelled due to the global Coronavirus pandemic.
Team Edin began the
2020–21 season by winning the 2020
Baden Masters, Edin's third title in the event, tying the record held by Thomas Ulsrud, Andreas Schwaller, and Brad Gushue. The team then reached the quarterfinals at the final World Curling Tour men's series 400 event in Europe in 2020, the
Curling Masters Champéry The Curling Masters Champéry is an annual bonspiel, or curling tournament, that takes place at the Palladium de Champéry in Champéry, Switzerland. The tournament is held in a triple-knockout format and is part of the World Curling Tour. The t ...
. With team curling effectively shut down in Europe after October 2020, Team Edin did not return to competitive play until the
2021 World Men's Curling Championship
The 2021 World Men's Curling Championship (branded as the 2021 BKT Tires & OK Tire World Men's Curling Championship for sponsorship reasons) was held from April 2 to 11 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Canada. Th ...
. Despite the challenge of returning without a competitive national championship, the team finished at the top of the leaderboard and was ranked first in the playoffs, defeating Team Mouat of Scotland in the final and winning the fourth gold medal for Edin and Eriksson and the third straight World Championship gold for the team - the first team to achieve this feat and to do so with the same four players. Edin and his teammates were also selected to compete in the
2022 Winter Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...
at the end of the season.
The
2021–22 season began with Team Edin reaching the playoffs in the first five tournaments they entered. In Switerland, the team reached the semifinals of the
Baden Masters, then the finals of the
Swiss Cup Basel. The team then began the Canadian leg of their autumn schedule by winning the
Penticton Curling Classic. The team also reached the quarterfinals in the
Euro Super Series, as well as at the
Masters and the
National
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Places in the United States
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in the Grand Slam of Curling. At the
2021 European Curling Championships
The 2021 European Curling Championships were held in September and November 2021, to qualify European curling teams for the 2022 World Curling Championships and World Qualification Event. The A and B division competitions were held from November ...
, the team won a silver medal, extending Team Edin's legacy of winning gold or silver at every championship since 2011 but one (2013). The team began 2022 with historic gold medals – their first Olympic gold and their fourth straight gold at the
World Men's Curling Championship
The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and mixed doubles championships, as well as men's ...
– the first team in history to win both Olympic and World Championship medals back-to-back in a single season. The World Championship win also gave Edin and Eriksson their sixth World Championship team gold medals – the first curlers in the world to do so – as well as giving Sundgren his fifth World Championship gold, placing him currently second on the all-time World Championship team gold medal list. The team wrapped up the season by coming in second place in the finals of the
2022 Players' Championship
The 2022 Players' Championship, Princess Auto Players' Championship was held April 12–17 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Ontario. It was the fourth Grand Slam of Curling, Grand Slam and final major of the 2021–22 curling season, f ...
and reaching the semifinals of the
2022 Champions Cup.
2018-2022:The Road to the 2026 Olympics
Shortly after the 2021-22 season closed, Team Edin formally announced that the same lineup planned to continue through the end of the next Olympic cycle, aiming to secure another medal in the 2026 Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The
2022–23 season thus became the seventh season for the team, establishing the lineup as the longest-running Team Edin to date. The season started with Team Edin failing to make the playoffs in the
Baden Masters, but then rallied to win the
Oslo Cup and the
Stu Sells Toronto Tankard
The Stu Sells Toronto Tankard is an annual bonspiel, or curling tournament, that takes place at the High Park Club in Toronto, Ontario. The men's tournament, started in 2010, is held in a triple-knockout format, while the women's tournament, ori ...
. They then began the season's
Grand Slam of Curling
The Grand Slam of Curling (branded as the Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling for sponsorship reasons) is a series of curling bonspiels that are a part of the annual World Curling Tour. Grand Slam events offer a purse of at least CAD$100,000, and f ...
tour at the
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* National, Maryland, ce ...
, reaching the final. At the
Tour Challenge(Tier 1), the team went undefeated on their way to winning the event, even though Edin was injured during the semifinal draw shot challenge and was sidelined through the final. Eriksson, Sundgren and Wranå competed under the Edin banner for the team's next two events, winning the
Western Showdown
The Western Showdown, known as the Nutrien Ag Solutions Western Showdown for sponsorship reasons, is an annual international curling tournament held at the Credit Union iPlex in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The combined purse for both the men's an ...
and reaching the semifinals of the
Penticton Curling Classic. For the
2022 European Curling Championships, Team Eriksson competed for Sweden, with Daniel Magnusson moving to the second position, with Wranå to third and Eriksson as skip for the first time at a European Curling Championship. The team lost in the semifinal by one point to Team Switzerland, the first time since 2013 that Team Sweden did not reach the medal podium.
Mixed events
Despite his participation in mixed events early in his curling career, Edin had until recently primarily played mixed doubles and mixed team curling at the Continental Cup. After the addition of Mixed Doubles in the 2018 Olympics, however, Edin began to participate in mixed doubles events, in part reflecting the Swedish Curling Association's recognition that Team Sweden might more likely earn a place in the Mixed Doubles Olympic competition by permitting curlers on men's and women's national teams to vie for a chance to compete in Mixed Doubles at the
World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship
The World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships are annual curling tournaments featuring the world's best teams of mixed doubles curlers.
History
The tournament began in 2008 with the 2008 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. Switzerland's m ...
. As a result, Edin began to participate in the Swedish Mixed Doubles Curling Championships, placing 4th in 2019, but missing the playoffs in 2020. He also teamed up with
Rachel Homan
Rachel Catherine Homan (born April 5, 1989) is a Canadian international curler. Homan is a former Canadian junior champion, a three-time Canadian national champion, and the 2017 world champion, all as a skip. She was also the skip of the Can ...
for the inaugural mixed doubles event at the
2018 WCT Arctic Cup
The 2018 WCT Arctic Cup, a mixed doubles curling event on the World Curling Tour, was held May 24 to 27 at the Taimyr Ice Arena in Dudinka, Russia. It was the final event of the 2017–18 curling season. The total purse for the event was $US 20 ...
, and the duo won the event.
In the 2020-21 season, the Swedish Curling Association launched a substantial effort to support five teams on the mixed doubles tour, in order to prepare for the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship and to secure an entry for Team Sweden to compete in mixed doubles at the 2022 Olympics. Edin was selected for one of the teams, partnering with Emma Sjödin of Team Sundberg for the 2020-21 curling season. In their inaugural event, the
Oberstdorf International Mixed Doubles Cup, Sjödin and Edin reached the semifinals, losing to Sjödin's teammate
Johanna Heldin and Team Edin alternate
Daniel Magnusson. Sjödin and Edin won their next mixed doubles event, the 2020
WCT Tallinn Mixed Doubles International, defeating the tournament frontrunners
Jayne Stirling Jayne Stirling is a Scottish curler from Stirling.
After winning the 2017 Scottish mixed doubles championship, Stirling and partner Fraser Kingan represented Scotland at the 2018 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. The pair had a 6-1 record ...
and Fraser Kingan in the final.
Career Milestones and Records
Niklas Edin is the only skip in history to skip teams to six World Men's Curling Championship gold medals, and the first to do so at four consecutive World Men's Curling Championships (2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022). He is also the only skip in history to have skipped a team to three Olympic medals … a gold (2022), a silver (2018), and a bronze (2014) – and the only skip to secure back-to-back Olympic and World Men's Curling Championship in history. Currently, only two other curlers have won all three medals,
Agnes Knochenhauer
Agnes Ellinor Knochenhauer (born 5 May 1989) is a Swedish Curling, curler who competed at 5 World Curling Championships and at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, winning a silver and a gold medal respective ...
and
Oskar Eriksson
Oskar Ingemar Eriksson (born 29 May 1991) is a Swedish curler from Karlstad. He currently plays third for the Niklas Edin rink. He is the first curler in history to win four Olympic medals – gold, silver, and two bronze – and the first to ...
.
Edin also currently holds several records together with his teammates Eriksson, Sundgren, and Wranå, who formed the team that won four gold medals in a row between 2018 and 2022. Edin and Eriksson hold the most European Men's Curling Championship titles (seven) and share the record of most World Men's Curling Championship titles (six). They also hold the record as the first men's curlers to simultaneously hold both the World Curling Championship and European Curling Championships in three separate curling seasons (2012–2013, 2014–2015, and 2017–2018). In 2019, Edin, together with his teammates Eriksson and Sundgren, also became the first men's curlers to hold these same titles simultaneously in two separate calendar years (2015 and 2019). Edin, Eriksson, and Sundgren are also the first curlers in history on the men's side to win four European Championship gold medals in a row (2014–2017). Edin is also the only curler to appear in the
Continental Cup for twelve consecutive competitions (2007–08 and 2011–2020, with the competition not held in 2009 or 2010). With Eriksson, Sundgren, and Wranå, Edin's team became the first non-Canadian men's team to win three Slams at the Grand Slam of Curling and the Pinty's Cup, with the only other non-Canadian men's team to win more slams skipped by
Bruce Mouat
Bruce Mouat (; born 27 August 1994 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish curler. He is an Olympic silver medallist, having skipped Great Britain to a second place finish in the men's team event at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Career
Mouat had a very su ...
.
In 2009 Edin was inducted into the
Swedish Curling Hall of Fame.
Grand Slam Record
When Edin won the
2016 WFG Masters, he became the first non-Canadian skip to win a men's Grand Slam event.
Teams
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edin, Niklas
Living people
1985 births
People from Örnsköldsvik Municipality
Sportspeople from Karlstad
Swedish male curlers
Curlers at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Curlers at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Curlers at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Curlers at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for Sweden
Olympic silver medalists for Sweden
Olympic bronze medalists for Sweden
Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Olympic medalists in curling
Olympic curlers of Sweden
World curling champions
European curling champions
Swedish curling champions
Universiade medalists in curling
Universiade gold medalists for Sweden
Competitors at the 2009 Winter Universiade
Continental Cup of Curling participants
21st-century Swedish people