Success goes on for Eve
Perthshire curler Eve Muirhead’s special season of success has continued.
The Beijing gold medallist teamed-up with fellow Olympian Bobby Lammie to win her first Scottish Mixed Doubles Championships.
In the afternoon final, the in-form pair defeated Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds 9-2 at the familiar setting of Perth’s Dewars Centre.
“Up against Bruce and Jen, who are the current mixed doubles world champions and came fourth at the Olympic Games which was an awesome effort, it was always going to be very tough,”Muirhead said.
“But Bobby and I played great all week. We’ve played them lots of times and they’ve always been pretty tight games, but we were pretty clinical every game and made a lot of shots.
“We’re both pretty tired after Beijing, but it’s back to normal. We knew we had to come back and play this tournament and we both got up for every game.”
Muirhead added:“Jen and I both have that Olympic gold and the boys have their Olympic medals as well, so I think it just comes down to who is on form on the day.
“I don’t think anyone is better than each other out there, but on the day we just played a little bit better.”
Elsewhere, Auchterarder’s Mark Watt enjoyed a productive week alongside Katie McMillan and made the semi-final before being edged out by Dodds and Mouat.
Local curler Holly Wilkie-Milne worked through to the quarter-final with Gregor Cannon while Olympic gold medallist Mili Smith, from Guildtown, also navigated to that stage of the event with Perth’s Duncan McFadzean.
Muirhead has, clearly, had plenty to celebrate in recent weeks and her women’s team has now also moved to number one in the world rankings. She returns to the top almost a decade after her only previous spell at the summit.
“I was number one for a few weeks in 2013, but it’s special to be back there, particularly with Bruce and his team being number one as well,”she said. It’s great to have both the Scottish teams at world number one. It’s great for British Curling.
“It shows the benefit of what we’re doing back here in Stirling at the National Curling Academy with the help we’re getting from The National Lottery.”
Still just 31, determined Muirhead admits it is too early to tell if the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy will be penned in her diary. For now it is all about savouring the recent success.
“Honestly, I don’t know,”she said. “I want to savour these memories, make the most of the next few weeks and months and then, of course, there’s going to be that time that I need to sit down and decide what I’m going to do in the future.
“I am young, but I am the oldest in the team now. It depends how the body holds up.
“Right now, I’m just going to enjoy the moment with this gold medal and the team that I’m so proud of.”