Mouat and Muirhead lead curling rinks to historic European double

Curling 27 Nov 21

Team Mouat and Team Muirhead both surged to glory as Scotland won double gold at the European Curling Championships for the first time in history.

Both Scottish quartets faced Sweden in their gold medal matches and Eve Muirhead led her rink to a 7-4 victory in the women’s event before Bruce Mouat skippered his group to an 8-5 success in the men’s equivalent to round out a successful day in Lillehammer.

Three-time Olympian Muirhead, who is yet confirm her spot at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, combined with Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff to battle to a third European gold of her career.

The key moment came in the eighth end when Muirhead drew a second stone into position to score two points and put the Scots 5-2 ahead.

Swedish skip Anna Hasselborg narrowed the deficit to 5-4 ahead of the final end but Muirhead – who had undergone major hip surgery since her last major title at this event in 2017 – took two in the last to seal a 7-4 victory.

“European champions again – that sounds amazing,” she said. “It’s funny to think that a wee while back that I never thought 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.

“It’s been a rollercoaster but it’s shown that all the work we’ve done has worked. I’m so proud of Hailey [Duff] — first Europeans, first international ladies’ event.

“For these girls this is really special, and I’d like to think that they’re going to go onto even better things.

“I’ve already got two European titles under my belt — having a third is amazing — but for these guys it’s always so nice to get your first.”

That victory gave Team Mouat – consisting of Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan – the chance to complete an historic double in the men’s final against Niklas Edin’s Swedish rink.

It was a rematch of this year’s World Championship final, won by Sweden, but the Scots got revenge to add to their 2018 European crown.

Team Mouat were the form outfit in Lillehammer this week, winning all nine group games and then overpowering Norway in the semi-finals, and stealing two points in both the fourth and fifth ends of the gold-medal game proved decisive.

That put them 6-2 up and although the Swedes scored two in end six, Mouat hit back in the seventh to draw for two and make it 8-4.

Edin could only take a single from the ninth to narrow the gap to 8-5 and the concession quickly followed, leaving Mouat – who will compete in both the men’s and mixed events at Beijing 2022 – ecstatic.

“That was a great game,” he said. “We knew we were going to have to play well and we started a bit slow, but then we got back into our groove that we had found all week and it was a really good middle section.

“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.”

And the fact that both Scottish rinks claimed European glory only made things even sweeter for Mouat.

“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,” he added.

“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.”

Photo credit: WCF / CELINE STUCKI