BEIJING — Two measures were needed to confirm what Canada’s John Morris already knew on Monday morning.

His team’s final stone was a whisker outside the Italian rock in a dramatic extra-end finish at the Ice Cube.

With an emphatic wave from the official, it was confirmed. A second go-around locked it in.

Italy had earned the decisive point for an 8-7 victory that kept Morris and Rachel Homan out of the mixed doubles curling playoff mix at the Beijing Games.

“It’s a heartbreaking loss,” Morris said. “That’s as tough as they get in your life. We battled with everything we had.”

Morris groaned after the Canadian stone tapped the backing on the four-foot ring, just wide of the opposing stone on the side of the button. He shook hands with Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini before the measurement was complete.

Homan said the rock felt good coming out of her hand.

“I had a bit of a mover on my last one,” she said. “I always try to go aggressive on it. I literally went aggressive on it by an eighth of an inch.”

It was the second straight loss for Canada, which dropped an extra-end decision to last-place Australia the night before.

Canada finished tied in fourth place at 5-4, but Sweden took the tiebreaker to move on to the evening semifinals. Italy (9-0), Norway (6-3) and Great Britain (6-3) earned the top three seeds.

Morris won gold with Kaitlyn Lawes at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in the discipline’s Olympic debut. Homan skipped the Canadian women’s team in South Korea but missed the podium.

The duo was selected for these Games by Curling Canada after COVID-19 issues forced the cancellation of the mixed doubles trials in December.

Morris and Homan looked unsettled in an opening loss to Great Britain but found their groove with wins over Norway, Switzerland and China.

The Australia loss stung though and it set up a win-and-you’re-in scenario against a steady Italian pairing that made few mistakes.

Canada had a chance to put pressure on in the eighth end but Homan was light with her final draw that set up an Italian deuce.

With guards cleared in the extra end, the Canadians slightly mismanaged their final shot.

“In the end we got a little bit lucky because they overswept the last shot a bit,” Mosaner said.

Semifinal winners will play for gold on Tuesday. Losing teams will meet for bronze.

The Czech Republic finished in sixth place at 4-5, ahead of Switzerland, the U.S. (both 3-6), China and Australia (both 2-7).

“I’m proud of our efforts,” Homan said. “We were fighting for every inch out there. I just guessed wrong on a couple of them and that’s the difference.

“It’s a game of millimetres out there. One more shot and we’re into playoffs.”

Morris said it was the deepest mixed doubles competition he has ever played in.

“With one half a break or one millimetre here or there and we’re playing in that semifinal,” Morris said. “So there’s no point beating a dead horse.

“There’s nothing more we can talk about with how and why we lost.”

In addition to some late-game letdowns, there were some early ones too. Canada started only two games with the hammer due to poor draw-shot challenge numbers.

Ineffective clock management against the Czechs on Sunday afternoon required a literal last-second throw in an extra-end game they were fortunate to win.

Canada was outplayed or underperformed in critical moments, and that proved costly.

“I know how much time and effort and work that they’ve put in to being the best curlers that they can be,” said coach Scott Pfeifer. “I really feel for them right now.”

Morris, 43, was hoping to reach the Olympic podium for the third time in his career. He also won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games as vice for Kevin Martin.

“Rachel will be back again,” Morris said. “I’m not sure about myself. The tank is almost empty.”

The Canadian focus now shifts to the team events.

Brad Gushue’s side will begin men’s round-robin play on Wednesday night against Denmark. Jennifer Jones will lead her rink into action on Thursday evening against South Korea.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2022.

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

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