ADRENALINE BRUSH
Scottish star Mouat has got the bare cheek to become a legend on the rink
THE last time Bruce Mouat went curling in a swimming pool he found himself under water wearing only a kilt.
Asked to pose for a charity calendar, he clung to two curling stones on the bottom while blowing bubbles at the camera.
In Beijing tomorrow, the Scot is poolside again in front of a camera, this time intending only to show his gold medal credentials.
The curling competition which launches these Winter Olympics takes place at the scene of Rebecca Adlington’s twin triumph at the 2008 summer Games.
And given they are world champions, Mouat and mixed doubles partner Jen Dodds have high hopes of following in her footsteps at a venue changed from Water to Ice Cube.
“I have always been a huge Olympics fan and remember watching Rebecca win her two golds,” said Mouat, 27.
“For that pool, with its incredible sporting memories, to have been converted into a curling rink, well, I just hope we can add to the history.”
Mouat is a character and ahead of these Games he was back on Men of Curling calendar duty, this time on a golf course.
“It’s a bit of fun for charity,” he added, telling how he and team-mates Hammy McMillan, Bobby Lammie and Grant Hardie stripped to their boxer shorts and ‘modelled’ on a golf buggy (below).
After his pool shot two years ago, Mouat said some of his family were stunned: “They were like, ‘Am I allowed to hang this on my wall?’”
So this time he kept the shock rating to a minimum by ensuring no golfers were about when they stripped off.
The shock here in the Chinese capital, starting against Sweden tomorrow, will be if he and Dodds do not feature prominently in the medal battle.
They are such a tight unit they have keys to each other’s house and are known to finish each other’s sentences.
That togetherness helped them win the world title and they are determined to add Britain’s first Olympic curling gold for 20 years.
“People always remind me going to your first Olympics and competing at a high level is difficult to do,” said Mouat. “But we’ve had a lot of success on the international stage over the last two years so it’s not unrealistic to look at a medal.”
Make that two, for Mouat’s mens rink are also among the favourites.
The dream is to emulate Rhona Martin, whose Salt Lake City gold inspired Mouat into the sport. He said: “I was seven and to be here, with Rhona in the commentary box, makes this very special.”