Great Britain curling teams win gold and silver

Britain – finally – got a Team GB winter gold medal Olympic Games emphatically early on Sunday – a day before the end of the Games.

The women’s curling team won the country’s only gold medal for these Olympics and it was against Japan 10-3. A silver medal was won by the men’s team on Saturday.

Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jennifer Dodds, Hailey Duff and Mili Smith were the heroines of the hour at ChinaNational Swimming Center.

The 50-strong GB squad had to return home without podium honors on Monday to show off their efforts, but in the space of 24 hours the curlers showed how it’s done.

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Skip Eve Muirhead, Vice Vicky Wright, Jennifer Dodds, Hailey Duff and Mili Smith celebrate after winning the game on Sunday.

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Men’s captain Bruce Mouat told Mail Online that even while waiting to board his flight to Beijing, he was asked if curling could really be considered a sport.

But both curling teams bring home the two gongs from the one country – and interest in the sport is likely to increase massively after the two medals.

For Muirhead, 31, from Stirling, who captained Britain to three Olympics, gold was a fitting prize after failing to win a medal before and using his experience to lead a team of Olympic rookies at these games to a gold medal.

“I waited a long time. Dreams come true, and it’s thanks to these girls who helped me get here, and helped me become a better curler, a better person.

“Finally we managed to get that Olympic gold medal and yeah, it just doesn’t feel real.”

She said she appreciated the support in Britain and hoped the sport would find new favour. ‘Thank you for everyone’s support. It’s a support we’ve never felt before. We like to curl there.

Wright, 28, also from Stirling, has moved away from the Beijing route and returned to the NHS frontline to help in the battle against Covid-19 as a staff nurse in the Forth Valley. ‘It hasn’t sunk at all yet. I got very emotional at the end, it’s a dream come true,” she said.

In Beijing, Dodds became the first woman to represent Great Britain in two disciplines at the same Winter Olympics as she partnered Mouat in the mixed doubles event.

She had dreamed of competing in the Olympics since the age of eight and gave up her job as an office assistant to train full time at the Gogar Park Curling Club in Edinburgh.

Duff, 25, from Forfar was born in New Zealand and was introduced to the sport by her father.

She worked as a buyer for a furniture company before enrolling in a sports and fitness degree at the Open University.

Former Olympic curler Jackie Lockhart, who at the match, told the BBC: “The Japanese girls just came up against a team that was on fire today. They brought their A game.

“Just believe, keep trying, Eve Muirhead never quit.”

The team and alternate (sub) Smith were only formed in December last year.

Rhona Howe, who led Team GB to their last curling gold in 2002, joked: “It took them 20 years…what took so long?”

She added: “Look what this team has achieved in less than a year.” It’s phenomenal.

Dodds said she was grateful to those who stayed up until the early hours of the morning to watch the gold medal win. “Can I just say thank you to all of our friends and families who support us. They know how much it means to us and I’m sure they’re all jumping in front of their TV screens right now.

Dodds said: ‘I don’t really know what happened. I don’t think it’s going to sink anytime soon. I am speechless.’

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Japan’s Yurika Yoshida leaves the ice as British athletes celebrate at the end of the women’s curling final match between Japan and Great Britain on Sunday in Beijing.

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Great Britain’s Eve Muirhead celebrates her gold medal after the women’s curling final match with Japan in Beijing.

But she added: “I’m so proud of these girls and the way they performed in this final and all week.”

“Losing our first game at the Olympics wasn’t ideal, but we knew we played well and we just came back fighting for the next game.”

“I think we just showed our courage and determination today because even in this final, when we knew we were in the game, we knew we had to stay strong to get the win.”

Muirhead said: “It’s going to take a long time to sink, I think, because I’m not sure it’s yet.”

‘What a performance there today. We saved our best game for last. It’s been a long time coming and I think for us as a team we’ve worked so hard to get to this point. I’m so proud of them all.

“It’s weird, to be honest. To say it was 20 years ago when Rhona made history in Britain by winning that gold medal. We followed in his footsteps and did it 20 years later. It’s amazing, really.

Wright added: “We were really confident for this game. We prepared exactly the same way we prepared for every game and just went out there and gave our best.

UK team coach David Murdoch said: “It was a perfect performance, composure and composure. What we have been discussing throughout the week was evident today and you could see all the girls were so relaxed. That was really the key to success today.

‘There’s something in the stars, isn’t there? They worked so hard and they deserve every moment of it because of the hard work they do every day, the sacrifices they made, they deserve this moment.

Sweden won bronze after beating Switzerland 9-7.

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