When Kyle Smith’s young team were chosen for the Winter Olympics last summer, many in the curling community suspected that it was with a view to 2022 success rather than 2018.
David Murdoch and Tom Brewster-led rinks were far more experienced and decorated options – some would say safer – than the Perth-based one that had yet to medal at a major championship.
Recent results for Team Smith, however, have not only vindicated the GB selection, they have also reinforced the fact that Kyle Smith, Cammy Smith, Thomas Muirhead, Kyle Waddell and alternate Glen Muirhead are looking to make their mark in the here and now.
Viktor Kjell, who was picking up an Olympic bronze four years ago and is now coach for the British men, knows how quickly sport can move on. At a Games where temperatures could be dropping to minus 25 degrees, Team Smith will be attempting to strike while their curling stone is hot.
“The team was selected to perform at this Olympics not in the future,” said the Swede, a former world champion. “It’s about 2018.
“I know, and the guys know, that if they perform as well as they can they’ll one of the medal candidates.
“For us, it was never about being good in November or December. We’ve planned to be at our best in February. We’ve been working towards being at our peak. We’ve definitely followed everything that we set out to do.
“We’ve had a good plan from the start of the season. There were a few tournaments that we wanted to perform well in. The Europeans (where they won silver) was definitely one of them. After that, it’s just been rolling on.
“We had a really good event in Germany where I saw a lot of the boxes ticked that I wanted.”
They didn’t win gold at the European Championships like the women’s team, but Team Smith’s second place was just as significant in terms of self-belief. Perhaps even more so.
“Winning the first major medal was important,” said Kjell. “It gave them a confidence boost. They are definitely one of the best teams in the world. From my point of view it was good to see them perform under pressure when they were representing your country.
“They have a great approach to the game. You can see when they’re confident. That’s been there in the last couple of months. They can see all the hard work on and off the ice is paying off.”
A sub-plot for Kjell at these Games is his own link to Sweden’s Team Edin. They are many experts’ favourites to take gold but, despite the fact that at 32 he could reasonably expect to be at the peak of his playing career, he is content to be a coach with a unique insight into one of Britain’s main rivals, rather than a competitor.
“Niklas (Edin) is the only one still in the team from the last Olympics,” he said. “Our alternate from 2014 is one of the regular guys. Two of them have never been to an Olympics before.
“They’re definitely one of the better teams in the world just now. Niklas has four more years of experience.
“They’re doing a lot of good things and I’m pleased to see them doing well. We’re still friends but we’ll be fierce competitors at the Olympics.
“It’s never felt strange when our team is playing their team. Hopefully my experience of playing with Niklas might help us but it’s not about my knowledge. It’s about how the guys perform.
“There are a few teams who will be contenders. I see Canada and Sweden as the top two contenders and right behind is us, Switzerland, Norway and some of the Asian teams. It’s definitely a deep field.”
He added: “Right now I’m quite happy where I am. I know how much time and effort you need to put in to be at the top of the sport. I did that for 10 years and I was quite happy to finish after 2014.
“I knew that I always wanted to be involved in the sport. The coaching opportunity came up and I’ve never thought ‘I wish I was playing again’.
“I’m more involved in curling now than I’ve ever been.”
Kjell is young in coaching terms but his Olympic experience will be vital for Britain’s rookies.
“You can prepare yourself to a certain level but it is tough to know how you’re going to feel if you haven’t been there before,” he admitted.
“We’ve had some good conversations about the things that they might not be used to. But when it comes to the actual curling, nothing is different.
“I’ve been to two – 2010 and 2014. Previously I had to make sure I was 100% prepared for my own performance. Now I’m responsible for five guys trying to achieve their dreams.
“But the goose-bumps are the same. I feel privileged to be going to my third Olympics in another role. It’s the highest thing you can achieve in our sport.”
Kjell started coaching the team in 2015 and the progress they have made from outsiders for Olympic selection to medal contenders has been impressive.
“The biggest difference between now and three years ago is the experience they’ve got,” he said. “They’ve played all the top teams in the world and also they know what it needs to be a top curler off the ice – lifestyle and choices.
“We’re in a good place right now.”
