PYEONGCHANG, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan claimed a bronze medal after beating Britain 5-3 in women's curling here Saturday at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

It was also Japan's first Olympic medal in curling since the game was officially introduced into Olympic competitions in 1998.

The two sides played a see-saw game in the first seven ends and got tied 3-3, before Japan stole one point against the hammer in the eighth end to take the lead for the first time.

The last end saw the British women struggling to turn the tide but a failed last shot of British skip Eve Muirhead let Japan seal the victory 5-3.

"Curling comes down to inches. If that had curled another centimeter, we'd have had the bronze medal around our necks," said Muirhead after the match.

"I'm absolutely gutted. As a team we gave it absolutely everything...It just wasn't to be today," she added.

On Sunday, Sweden and South Korea will fight for the gold. Enditem