Top coaching role for Olympic hero
David changes direction after South Korea blow
Olympic silver medallist David Murdoch has decided to call time on his competitive curling career after seven national, three European and two world titles.
Stirling-based Murdoch (39) will now join the coaching ranks at British Curling as he switches his focus to bringing on the next generation of curlers.
Murdoch admitted he was still feeling disappointed about the recent decision that means he would not be heading to his fourth Olympic Games, in South Korea next year, but is ready to embark on the next exciting step as British Curling consultant coach, a new role which will cover all aspects of technical and tactical coaching.
He said: “After the announcement regarding Pyeongchang, I had to think about what would come next. I had always wanted to pursue my coaching and management ambitions and now I feel ready for that.
“I have had to re-adjust as my goal was to get to the next Olympics and I really had to decide if it was the end or not.
“I have been thinking about alternative options for some time and you have to eventually make the decision to start getting those plans underway.
“It was a tough decision but at the same time I am incredibly grateful for what I have achieved in the sport, the opportunities it has given me and the titles I have won.
“Looking back when I won the World Junior Championships, I remember wishing I could one day be a national champion. In some ways I have achieved far more than I ever dreamed of, going on to win national, European and world titles.
“For me there were no regret. I had lots of great experiences and life lessons and I have made amazing friends all around the world.
“I especially want to thank my teammates, support staff and coaches for their incredible dedication and, of course, my wife Stephanie and my family, which made every success possible.”
Murdoch and then team-mate Euan Byers were the first full-time curlers in the UK with Byers competing alongside him from 2000 until 2010.
The turning point in their careers, said Murdoch, can be attributed to Mike Hay, who was at that time performance director for curling at the Sportscotland Institute of Sport. Murdoch said: “Mike gave our team our big break. He funded two trips to Canada and Sweden and that international experience gave us our break on to the world stage.
“His commitment and belief in us resulted in us winning the Scottish Championships and then going on to beat Peja Lindholm in the final of the European Championships in 2003.”
Murdoch went on to win the European Championships on two more occasions and two world titles before Hay moved on to the British Olympic Association.
Just missing out on a podium place in 2006, finishing fourth at the Olympics in Turin, then a fifth place finish at the Vancouver Games, meant there was something missing from his medal haul.
It was to be another four years before David and team-mates Greg Drummond, Scott Andrews, Michael Goodfellow and Tom Brewster secured their silver medal in Sochi in 2014, the pinnacle of the men’s game to date.
Murdoch said: “That Olympic medal was for every team member I have ever played with, from the early years right up to when I was the oldest member of my team. That success only happens when every member of the team and support team pulls together and has the same level of dedication to be better, be stronger and improve in any way possible.”
It was that level of commitment that saw him lend his weight to the campaign for a National Curling Academy based at the PEAK in Stirling where David trained before his Olympic silver win.
He said: “It was important to the development of the game in this country to have a facility of this type to stay with the cutting edge of this sport and where it is going. There are exciting times ahead with the national centre.”