BATTLE FOR BRONZE U.S. takes first curling medal since 1978

The American team won the bronze medal with an 8-6 win over Britain.
PINEROLO, Italy (AP) -- Pete Fenson wanted the curling bronze medal to come down to the final shot, and he was ready to take it.
The U.S. skip bent his rock into the target area, where it came to rest inside of Britain's best hope and clinched the Americans' first Olympic curling medal. Only then did the usually stone-faced Fenson break into a grin and raise his broom in victory.
"Our job's done here," he said Friday after winning 8-6 for the first American curling medal in a major men's competition since 1978. "It's always nice to come to a world event and perform well. It adds to the credibility for us. ... Hopefully it will have a great impact in the States."
Gentlemanly sport
A gentlemanly sport with etiquette about when and how to celebrate, the Olympic tournament has witnessed more than the usual amount of fist-pumping, cheer-leading and even a thrown broom.
But Fenson, a Minnesota pizzeria owner who was sarcastically dubbed "Hollywood" by his teammates, has remained stoic in steering the U.S. team, rarely showing as much as a smile.
"On the ice, he's nerves of steel," American second Joe Polo said. "He has fun out there, but he just likes to stay as focused as he can."
The object of Fenson's focus was an international medal slump that, the U.S. curlers believe, limited the sport's appeal in their homeland. In addition to two shutouts since the sport was promoted to full Olympic status in 1998, the American men had not won a medal at the world championships in almost three decades.
"The drought's finally over," said Ed Lukowich, a former world champion brought in from Canada to help coach the U.S. national teams. "Bronze, for the U.S., is like winning the gold."
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