Eve Muirhead believes that Scotland’s gold medal win at the European Curling Championships can be used as a foundation for success at the Winter Olympics qualifiers.
Team Muirhead rounded off an impressive week at the Le Gruyere AOP European Curling Championships by beating reigning Olympic champions Sweden 7-4 in the final to clinch a gold medal.
The experienced skip hopes that Team Muirhead can use their major title win as a platform to build on when they travel to the Netherlands next month to compete in a qualifier in hope of securing one of only three spaces left at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Muirhead said: “I think we’ll look back and realise these are moments that don’t happen every day and we need to cherish and celebrate this moment, then maybe at the start of next week we need to then change our focus onto the Olympic qualifier, but for now, everyone’s just absolutely delighted.
“European champions again… that sounds amazing and it’s funny to think that a wee while back that I never thought that I would be top of the podium after my hip surgery and having been through a tough few months, but here we are, I’ve got my third gold medal.
“To do it alongside Hailey (Duff) and Mili (Smith) when they are making their debuts at this level and Vicky (Wright) and Jen (Dodds) who were winning their first gold medals, is something really special and I’m very very proud of them.”
Record breaking double gold
Team Muirhead were not the only Scots’ to see success as Bruce Mouat and his team ensured double gold for Scotland, after also beating Sweden in the men’s final.
Team Mouat seized their opportunity and made history, making Scotland European champions in the men and women’s events at the same time for the first time ever.
Mouat, who also skipped Scotland to the gold medal at the 2018 European Championships is delighted to be a part of Scottish curling history as he said: “We’re over the moon to be two-time European champions.
“The boys and I worked so hard for this and we don’t want to stop here, just at the Europeans, we want to keep focusing on trying to do our best when we get out to Beijing in February.
“We’re so chuffed for the girls to win gold too and turn around their disappointment (at last season’s World Championships) in Calgary and come back to the Europeans and play amazingly.
“Being part of this historic double feels amazing because that feels longer lasting than clinching the trophy and I’m over the moon to achieve this double double.”
