Curling pundits are shaking their heads at the stunning performance of Angelina Jensen's Team Denmark here at the Aomori Prefecture Skating Rink, the venue for the 2007 World Women's Curling Championship.

After all, it's been nine years since a Danish women's team made this much noise at a major curling competition. That was, of course, the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Karuizawa, roughly eight hours away by the Shinkansen "bullet train," where Helena Blach Lavrsen won a surprise silver medal.

Jensen outscored Germany's Andrea Schoepp 11-7 to climb to 8-1 before losing to frontrunner Kelly Scott of Canada by an 8-1 count. Canada  had earlier defeated Russia's Ludmila Privivkova 10-5 and sits in first place at a perfect 9-0.

Meanwhile, Sweden's Anette Norberg, the two-time defending world champion and Olymppic gold medallist was officially kicked out of the playoffs by a nation making its world debut. Hana Synackova of the Czech Republic led her team to an 8-6 victory, her second of the tournament, leaving the Swedes at 5-5 and out of contention. Norberg was classy in defeat.

"For the past two years, everything has been going so well, and nothing has stopped us," said Norberg. "This week, we didn't know how to handle it."

Apart from one event in Stockholm, the Swedish machine had not lost a tournament in over two years. The run also included five consecutive European Championships, World Curling Tour cash tournaments and they were even featured in a popular heavy-metal music video. A victory would have made them the first team to ever win three consecutive world titles.

"We're not the kind of team to count statistics," said Norberg. "We just want to play, and play our best."

The Czechs, meanwhile, were jumping for joy after their win.

"That doesn't sound right at all, does it?" asked their rhetorical third, Karolina Pilarova. "It can't get any better."

Debbie McCormick of the United States also won an enormous game, 9-5 over Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni, which eliminated the Swiss from playoff contention.

"It's been working better for us to play with less rocks in play," said McCormick, last year's world finalist and the 2003 champion, who is guaranteed at least a tiebreaker berth. If the Americans beat Japan in their last round-robin match, they are through to the final four.

"It's going to be a tough game (against Japan)," said McCormick. "That's not going to be an easy one either."

Last year, Denmark's Jensen had to leave the competition early due to health concerns. Her team battled valiantly without her, losing the final round-robin game to finish 6-5 and one win away from tiebreakers.

This year, another Dane will be departing early. Second Camilla Jensen, Angelina's sister, leaves Friday to write a critical university exam back home. She is now out of the starting lineup with one round-robin matches left to play, and alternate Ana Hansen is in.

"It's my whole education, so sadly I must go," said Jensen. "So let's go Denmark, let's get those Olympic points."

The 2007 worlds is the first of three events that will qualify 10 nations for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
At the start of the tournament, an opening 11-6 loss to the United States merely led to eight Danish wins in a row up to the Canada match.
Observers are also scratching their skulls over Denmark's team statistics. While Scott's foursome is the numerical class of the field, the Danes rank only ninth in cumulative curling stats, and between seventh and ninth in individual rankings.

In addition to the Jensen sisters, Denmark's regular back-end is also a sibling act, with Madeleine and Denise Dupont throwing the final four stones. In the other Wednesday night matchup China beat Japan 6-4. Earlier Sweden thumped Italy 12-1 while Scotland, who are in the thick of things at 7-2, dumped the Czech Republic 7-2.
 

Diana Gaspari (ITA), Debbie McCormick (USA), Diana Gaspari (ITA), Jackie Lockhart & Kelly Wood (SCO)