In what was a tense affair from the off, both teams traded blows and the score was level at 5-5 going into the dramatic final end, and the Russians managed to edge through to the delight of the home crowd.

"This was one of the key games for us," Russian coach Vitaly Karpinskiy.

"China is among the favourites of the tournament and that's why it was especially important for us to beat them."

The Chinese team lead a five-way tie at the top of the leaderboard as Canada, Croatia, Hungary and the hosts all have an identical three win and one loss record from their opening four matches.

Hungary were the big winners on day three as they thrashed the Ukraine 10-1, and Slovakia's misery continued as they succumbed to yet another demoralising defeat, losing 11-3 to Canada.

Croatia, meanwhile, ended South Korea's good run of form as with a comfortable 8-2 win to ensure the women's curling remains a close-knit battle.

In the men's curling tournament, Japan and China maintained their 100 per cent records after five matches as they both claimed two victories today.

China claimed a narrow 5-4 win over Canada in the morning session of the Deaflympics in what was a fascinating contest ©Ugra 2015



The Japanese side began the day with a tough clash with America but they managed to successfully negotiate it with a tense 6-4 win, before they secured a narrow 7-6 triumph over Hungary.

China were involved in a low-scoring affair with Canada in the morning session as they kept up their unbeaten run by beating Canada 5-4, and in the afternoon they secured a much more comfortable 7-2 win against Ukraine.

Elsewhere, Switzerland ensured they remained in contention by clinching two wins of their own on day three as they beat Hungary 9-6, and they built on that result by silencing the home crowd with a 8-5 victory against Russia.

The results leave China and Japan locked in a two-way battle for top spot and they are closely followed by Switzerland.

Action at the 18th Winter Deaflympics continues tomorrow with one of the busiest days yet, with medals being decided in cross-country skiing, snowboarding and Alpine skiing, which takes place at the Magnitogorsk resort.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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