BEIJING – Both the host men’s and women’s teams from China have qualified for the 2008 World Championships, along with Japan’s women’s team and Australia’s men’s team.

The 2007 Pacific Curling Championships saw China’s women, skipped by Bingyu Wang of Harbin, finish first in the double round-robin with a 7-1 record. Japan’s Moe Meguro also finished 7-1, but the Chinese earned the top placement thanks to a superior Draw Shot Challenge result (178.40cm to Japan’s 293.40cm). China thus earned the gold medal and qualification for the 12-team Ford World Curling Championships hosted in Vernon, Canada in March 2008.

The Japanese faced the third-ranked team from Korea (4-4) led by Ji Hyun Park. Japan stole three unanswered points in the fourth and fifth ends to ride out an 8-6 victory, claiming silver and the final Pacific women’s berth into the Words.

Australia (Kimberly Dawn Forge) and New Zealand (Bridget Becker) both finished at 1-7.

“It is amazing to witness the development of curling in the Pacific region,” said Keith Wendorf, Director of Competitions for the World Curling Federation.

“As Chief Umpire at the last six Pacific Championships, I have witnessed a steady improvement of skills and strategy. China is simply learning at a tremendous pace, and will soon be a force to contend with at the international level.”

The Chinese men, skipped by Feng Chun Wang, qualified for the 2008 World Men’s Curling Championship in Grand Forks, USA by winning two straight games in their best-of-three semi-final series against Japan. The Japanese played both playoff games without skip Yusuke Morozuomi due to illness.

China then defeated Australia’s Hugh Millkin 9-2 in the gold medal game, with the Chinese scoring three in the opening end. Wang made two dynamic shots – a come-around tap on his first, and splitting a guard to out-count an Australian stone on his second – to set the tone for the final.

The Aussies also advanced to the Worlds as the second Pacific regional representative, thanks to their two best-of-three semi-final match wins over New Zealand.

In the first semi, New Zealand’s Sean Becker stole the 10th end to force an extra frame, but lost 6-5. In the second match, it was the Australians who stole the extra end for a 9-8 victory, which confirmed their nation’s Worlds berth.

New Zealand went on to beat Japan 10-7 to claim third place (Japan finished fourth) while Korea’s Han Sol Lee defeated Chinese Taipei’s Nick Hsu 9-0 in a battle for fifth and sixth placement.

Click HERE for the 2008 Pacific Curling Championships results page.