Team GB clinched gold in the women’s curling, defeating Japan 10-3 in Sunday morning’s final.
University of Stirling graduates Mili Smith and Hailey Duff joined Honorary University of Stirling Graduate Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright and Jen Dodds on the podium.
The gold came hours after the men won silver in the Ice Cube, with Niklas Edin’s Swedish rink winning 5-4 in the final after an extra end.
The men’s team comprised of; Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan, recent Stirling graduate Bobby Lammie and current Stirling sports scholar Ross Whyte.
The two medals on ice proved to be Team GB’s only medals of the games.
The women’s final could not have gone any better for team GB. A well-executed shot with her last stone in the seventh end allowed for Muirhead to score four, taking the score to 8-2, and effectively securing the gold. Japan would concede after the ninth end, following another score of two, with the score at 10-3.
After the victory, and emotional Eve Muirhead said:
“This is a moment I dreamed of as a young child. Having lost two semi-finals and then to come out and have that great battle against Sweden, we knew this was a great opportunity we might never get again. I definitely made the most of it, I prepped the same as I’ve prepped for every other game.
To stand on the podium and get that gold medal round your neck is a moment I’ll never forget.”
The 31-year-old had previously won bronze in Sochi 2014.
Earlier in the day, Team GB’s men came up just short in a hard-fought game against the five-time world champions. The Swedes, who won bronze in 2014, and silver in 2018 barely put a foot wrong, sealing victory in the extra end.
Following final defeat, men’s skip Bruce Mouat told BBC Sport:
“It’s still pretty raw, that’s going to be the case for quite a while. I’m trying to think how great our week was and feel proud how we went about it. We topped the table and had a really good semi-final performance so I’m trying to think about the other things apart from that game.
I do feel proud of myself and my guys. I’m sure down the line I will feel proud of this medal but right now I’m just trying to soak it in.”
Ross Whyte’s silver medal builds upon the University of Stirling’s haul of five medals from last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo.
Executive Director of Sport at the University of Stirling, Cathy Gallagher, said: “I am absolutely delighted to see Team GB’s curlers win gold and silver medals with incredible performances in Beijing.
It was a special moment for our sports scholars Mili, Ross and Bobby to be selected for the Games – so to see them come home with a medal, after witnessing first-hand the amount of hard work they put in on a daily basis, is fantastic.
We are incredibly proud of their achievements and those of Stirling graduate Hailey and honorary graduate Eve – we send both teams our warmest congratulations.”
Feature Image Credit: The Scotsman
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