Winter Wrap-up: Curlers make history as Musgrave fights back

Beijing 2022 29 Nov 21

The Olympic Winter season is now in full swing and this weekend saw clean sweeps, near misses and a three-way tie as Brits slid, skied and snowboarded across the globe. 

Team Muirhead and Team Mouat ensured Scotland claimed both titles at the European Curling Championships, while Matt Weston shared gold with two other skeleton athletes in Innsbruck. 

Charlotte Bankes claimed silver in the opening snowboard cross World Cup event of the season, while Andrew Musgrave fought his way into the top 20 in the two-day cross-country skiing pursuit, as preparation for Beijing 2022 continued in earnest. 

Double delight in Lillehammer 

Eve Muirhead and Bruce Mouat both faced the daunting task of leading their sides as they faced the defending champions Sweden at the European Curling Championships in Norway. 

And both came away with gold medals around their necks as Team Muirhead triumphed 7-4 in the women’s event before Team Mouat repeated the feat in the men’s event with an 8-5 win to see Scotland earn double European gold for the first time in their history. 

Muirhead topped the podium alongside Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff, with Duff earning gold on her maiden major championship appearance after the team held their nerve after being just 5-4 up heading into the final end. 

They will now head to the Netherlands to take part in the crucial Olympic Qualifying Event, which starts next Sunday, as Muirhead looks to reach her fourth Olympic Winter Games. 

Mouat and Muirhead lead curling rinks to historic European double

Team Mouat had already secured Team GB's place in the men’s draw in Beijing after their run to the World Championship final earlier this year - where they were defeated by Sweden. 

But revenge was a dish best served ice cold as Mouat, alongside Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan won all their games in Lillehammer, culminating with an 8-5 victory over the Swedes in the battle for gold, after racing to a 6-2 lead through five ends. 

Weston wins maiden World Cup in tie 

In a sport of fine margins, there was nothing to separate the men’s skeleton stars in World Cup action in Innsbruck as Matt Weston shared the spoils in an unprecedented three-way tie for gold. 

The 24-year-old posted a time of 1:46.04 seconds to share the victory with Geng Wenqiang of China and Germany’s Christopher Grotheer. 

The win marks Weston’s debut World Cup victory, and the first by any British man since 2008, having earned silver and bronze last season - the former coming on the same track in Austria. 

Marcus Wyatt joined Weston in the top ten with Craig Thompson in 17th as PyeongChang bronze medallist Laura Deas and Brogan Crowley repeated their performances from the previous World Cup, finishing in 20th and 17th respectively in the women’s event.

Hall on fire in the bobsleigh

Brad Hall backed up last week's double medal haul with another top-five finish in the two-man bobsleigh.

Hall came away from the first World Cup event in Innsbruck with a silver medal in the four-man event and a bronze in the two-man.

And this weekend's fifth-place finish means Hall has achieved a top-five finish in the first four races of the season.

In the four-man bobsleigh, then Hall led his crew to an 11th place finish while Lamin Deen’s team also came home in the top 20 after World Cup debutant Adele Nicoll had combined with Mica McNeill for 20th place in the women’s bobsleigh earlier in the day. 

Musgrave fights back 

Andrew Musgrave warmed up nicely at the cross-country skiing World Cup in the two-day pursuit as temperatures dropped to almost â€“20 degrees celsius. 

The 31-year-old was in 33rd place in the 15km event on Saturday, four seconds behind compatriot Andrew Young with the freezing temperatures in Ruka close to the cut-off for World Cup events. 

Musgrave then moved up to 16th overall on Sunday as he posted the fourth-fastest time in the 15km pursuit as Young dropped a place to 32nd overall. 

Bankes opens with a silver 

2021 snowboard cross world champion Charlotte Bankes claimed silver in the opening World Cup event of the season at Secret Garden, China. 

Bankes battled 2014 Olympic champion Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic all the way in the final, briefly taking the lead before Samkova hit back to claim gold. 

Bankes came home 0.29 seconds ahead of Michela Moioli of Italy to win silver as she prepares to challenge for a first Olympic medal in Beijing in less than 70 days’ time. 

Superb Silver for Bankes at season-opening World Cup

Also at Secret Garden, Ollie Davies narrowly missed out on qualification to the finals of the men’s Ski Cross. 

The 23-year-old finished in 34th place, just 0.27 seconds off the final qualifying spot before Sergey Ridzik of Russia went on to claim victory. 

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