Curling: Mixed feeling for Eve Muirhead

Eve Muirhead and her Olympic bronze medal curling team travelled home from the Le Gruyere European Curling Championships with more bronze medals to add to their collection – they beat Denmark by 8-4 in the third-place play-off game – but also with mixed feelings.

Eve Muirhead was delighted to come home with a medal. Picture: Getty

As she watched world champions Switzerland add the European title by beating Russia 8-7 in the gold medal game, Muirhead confessed: “It’s been a battle this week. It’s been tough and we’ve put a lot of pressure on ourselves.

“But you can’t win them all. Coming away with a medal was our first goal. That’s what we’ve done and I’m delighted about that.”

Although the Scots struggled at times through the campaign – their six-end 8-2 round-robin loss to Russia, for instance – they managed to get their act together in the bronze medal game to beat Denmark for this first time, having lost to them twice earlier in the competition. “I was pleased that we finished on a high,” added Muirhead.

The Scottish skip also pointed out that they have had to introduce a new team member at lead player, Sarah Reid, but was full of praise for her.

“Sarah was a full team member for the first time and she hardly missed a shot, so I’m really pleased. But with that change. and coming off the back of the Olympic medal, It was always going to be one of those seasons”.

Muirhead and her team now fly to Canada to take part in one of the major Grand Slam events there, pitting themselves against the best in the world.

David Edwards’ Aberdeen-based men’s team finished seventh overall to secure Scotland’s place in the line-up at next year’s Ford World Men’s Championship in Halifax, Canada.