David Murdoch may be missing out on this week’s Curling World Championships but the Scot admits his Sochi silver medal was worth the sacrifice.
The proximity of the 2014 Winter Olympics, which ended last month, and the worlds mean he is unable to take to the ice in China to attempt to better the bronze he skippered Scotland to in Canada last year.
Instead, Scotland will be led by Ewan MacDonald – who has three world titles to his name although this is his first appearance as skip – in Beijing from March 29 to April 6.
But Murdoch has no regrets about choosing the Olympics, claiming it was the pinnacle of his career to date.
“We all signed up to it and knew that over a four-year period that we were going to the Olympic Games,” Murdoch said.
“That’s really the pinnacle of your career. As an athlete, you want to be playing in everything and you don’t want not to be playing in a championship.
“On the other hand, you don’t get to go to the World Championship, which is frustrating as a player.”