Eve makes World Cup debut in States

Eve Muirhead swept onto the Omaha ice on Wednesday to make her World Cup debut.

The Curling World Cup Series was introduced earlier this season, with the inaugural event staged in September in Suzhou, China.

Blair Atholl skip Eve missed out as she entered the final stages of recovery from hip surgery but she is ready to perform in the United States.

Action got underway earlier this week and runs through until Sunday.

Ahead of start-up, Eve said: “I have heard a lot of really good things about the World Cup.

“And for me obviously missing out in China it is exciting to get the chance to play in Omaha.

“As always it is a tough field out there and a lot of tough games. We are building post-Europeans and looking forward to the challenge.

“It is fantastic what the World Curling Federation is doing with the World Cup Series and the new format.

“I think the Grand Slam Tour and World Cup Tour are putting curling on the map.”

Eve guided her team to a sixth place finish at the Europeans and qualified Scotland for the World Championships next year.

“Its been a tough summer, but we have to look at the big picture,” she said.

“To qualify Scotland for the World Championships during the Europeans was a number one priority and we achieved that.

“Having had time to reflect, the team is in a really good place and we are looking forward to our next events.

“Rehab has gone excellently and I have a great team behind me to make sure I am in the best place possible.

“That is still ongoing and it is all about patience as well.

“As a team of course we want to win every event we play in, but the bigger picture is the Beijing Olympics in 2022.

“For that I want to be as fit as I can be.”