Unlikely home favorites taking Games by storm

GANGNEUNG, South Korea - They're dubbed the "Garlic Girls" but go by the names Pancake, Yogurt, Steak, Cookie and Sunny - meet the South Korean curlers who are whipping up a recipe for success at the Olympics.

The Koreans, ranked eighth in the world, have emerged as medal contenders at the Pyeongchang Games.

After stunning top teams like Canada, Switzerland and Sweden, they were the first to advance to the semifinals.

Their giant-killing feats on the ice have drawn big crowds in a country where curling is little known.

Their skills have wooed fans while their affectionate nicknames have added a lighthearted twist to their achievements.

"I think the names are so fun," said Oh Ja-young, a spectator from Bundang. "But if they weren't doing so well, I wouldn't pay attention to their names."

All of them have "Kim" written on the back of their uniforms, the most common Korean surname that they share.

To minimize confusion, Kim Eun-jung, Kim Seon-yeong, Kim Kyeong-ae, Kim Yeong-mi and alternate Kim Cho-hi decided to adopt nicknames and a brainstorming session followed at the breakfast table.

But in contrast to their fun aliases, the curlers mean business on the ice.

"They play with a lot of passion, very technically sound," Rick Patzke, chief executive of the US Curling Association, told AFP.

"It's great to see the home crowd getting behind them here."

The curlers were apparently unprepared for the fervent flag-waving home crowd that packs the stadium each time they play.

They entered the tournament as outsiders and saw the crowds build up as they went from win to win.

"We are surprised that curling can be so welcomed in Korea," said the team's coach, Kim Min-jung.

"We've always wanted to make curling a more popular and common recreational sport in Korea and we're happy we are getting there."

Sweeping up

Only last month, curling was considered an obscure sport in South Korea.

The country sent its first curling team to the Olympics in 2014.

Now, memes of the "Garlic Girls" have gone viral online and several fans are posting good-humored clips mimicking the sport with cleaning supplies.

Despite the sudden spike in their popularity, the quintet are no flash in the pan and have been in the sport for more than a decade.

Their hometown of Uiseong - a rural town of around 54,000 people famous for garlic farming - built a curling center in 2006 with funding from the local government.

As a result, many students at Uiseong joined the curling team, including the Olympians. They have struggled to attract funding and fans in the past, but not any more.

"We always thought we could come this far," said team coach Kim. "Now I'm careful to say this, but we thought of doing even better."

But the five are not aware of just how large their celebrity has grown - they switched their cell phones off at the start of the competition to avoid any distraction.

"They can just tell that they are receiving a lot of attention by the number of fans that come to the stadium," the coach said.

However, she added the curlers do realize they are being called the "Garlic Girls" after the hometown's main product. "We don't like garlic," she said. "We would just like to be called 'Team Kim'."

Agence France - presse