Eve Muirhead and her curling team are Britain’s Olympic golden girls in China.
The Perthshire skip, together with Forfar’s Hailey Duff, Vicky Wright and Jen Dodds, produced a near faultless display in the women’s final to beat Japan 10-3 and go one better than the men’s rink, who had to settle for silver.
On the final day of the Games, the curlers became the only Team GB gold medallists in Beijing.
For Muirhead, flagbearer in the opening ceremony, it is a gold to add to her bronze won eight years ago in Sochi and revenge for losing to Japan in PyeongChang in 2018.
She said: “I have waited a long time. Dreams do come true, and it’s all thanks to these girls who have helped me get here, and helped me become a better curler, a better person.
“Finally we have managed to get that Olympic gold and it just doesn’t feel real.
“Thank you for everyone’s support. It’s support that we’ve never felt before.
“We love to get curling out there.”
Muirhead will now go down as a true curling and British sporting great.
The 31-year-old has emulated Rhona Martin, who was on the top of the podium in Salt Lake City 20 years ago.
There was no ‘Stone of Destiny’ this time though.
Team Muirhead didn’t need anything quite so dramatic, such was their dominance of the gold medal match.
THEY’VE DONE IT 🥇@Team_Muirhead are Olympic Champions!#TeamGB | #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/uRWvUE3Q3o
— Team GB (@TeamGB) February 20, 2022
The Scots got off to the worst possible start in their semi-final, losing four in the first end.
On this occasion, however, it was far less stressful, with two early points put on the scoreboard to their advantage.
Then a steal in the fifth end extended the lead to three (4-1) at the half-way stage of the contest. So far, so good.
Japan had a great chance to take two in the sixth end but made an error with their last stone.
It proved to be their last big opportunity to turn things around as a few minutes later Muirhead played a magnificent stone to take a four and put her team into an unassailable lead.
The Brits then played no risk, error free curling to see the game out with an end spare and start the celebrations.
