Olympic champion quits to fully focus on nursing
HAVING established herself as one of the outstanding success stories of the British Curling programme, Olympic champion Vicky Wright has announced her decision to retire from full-time curling.
The 28-year-old from Stranraer steps away from the sport after an extraordinary season that saw her play as vice skip to Eve Muirhead as the four-time Olympian led Wright, world mixed doubles champion Jen Dodds, Hailey Duff and alternate Mili Smith to that career-crowning triumph in Beijing.
They had already made history when, along with Bruce Mouat’s men, they became the first curlers to win the European Championships for Scotland in both the women’s and men’s game.
The women’s success was all the more remarkable because of the challenges they faced coming into the 2021/22 season. Wright had been part of the Scotland team that missed out on earning Team GB an automatic spot at this year’s Olympics when they failed to claim a top-six place at last season’s World Championships.
That forced a major re-think within British Curling, leading to the innovative creation of a nine-player squad system at the beginning of this season.
Wright, who had previously won two Scottish Championship titles but none on the international stage, was one of those who emerged from that opportunity to claim a place in what would become the Olympic team after fighting through the final qualifying event.
She had, however, previously been lauded on a personal level after returning to her other career as an NHS nurse at Forth Valley Royal Hospital following the Covid-enforced cancellation of the 2020 World Championships.
In making her decision to leave the elite game while at the top, her devotion to nursing was a key factor.
“On the back of what can only be described as the most incredible experience winning Olympic gold in Beijing, it is with much pride I announce my retirement from full time curling to fully invest my time into my nursing career and family life,” she said. “My journey to this point has not been without challenges, mainly balancing the demands of training full time with working a few shifts per week in a highly pressured hospital environment.
“Having a strong perspective on life is something I pride myself on and I am incredibly proud of how I achieved my curling goals, particularly in this last year when I kept up my shift work as an NHS Staff Nurse during a global pandemic.”
British Curling’s executive performance director Nigel Holl paid tribute to Wright.
“The level of commitment required of modern curlers who aspire to achieve on the global stage now requires fulltime commitment so for Vicky to maintain that as she has, while still working as an NHS staff nurse, has been a truly exceptional achievement,” he said.