Winter Olympics 2022 women's curling: Eve Muirhead's Team GB gold medal wait was 'long enough' says mentor

Howie, née Martin, coached Muirhead to a bronze medal at Sochi 2014 when she became the youngest skip to win an Olympic medal.

Now Muirhead has matched her, winning Britain’s first curling gold in 20 years and Team GB’s first gold of the Games in Beijing.

“20 years has been long enough,” said Howie. “It was emotional.

“I’ve known Eve for so long and I’m just so happy for her, knowing what she’s gone through in the last year.

“She’s very driven and has the resilience to just keep fighting. She has the temperament that leads a team so well.

“Eve can be hard on them but you need to be. She encourages and supports and gets the best out of each player.”

In the middle of last year, British Curling moved to a controversial squad system that saw Muirhead and eight team-mates competing for four places in the Olympic team with Vicky Wright, Jennifer Dodds and Hailey Duff successful.

British curler and BBC commentator Rhona Martin, now Rhona Howie, during the Women's Gold Medal Game. (Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)

“They brought Hailey in without her ever having played an international event, now she’s a European champion and an Olympic champion. Incredible,” added Howie.

The 2002 symmetry is uncanny with both rinks charting a choppy course through round-robin and playoff competitions.

Howie was grievously ill with a stomach bug and nearly didn’t compete 20 years ago, and it has emerged that members of Team Muirhead were recovering from Covid two months before Beijing.

“They never had it easy here, they had to fight all the way,” said Howie.

“That’s where the true grit and determination that Eve has comes in.

“In the pool stages they’d been playing well but not where we knew they could be.

“Like we did 20 years ago you get given that chance and my goodness you take it. They had to play so so well and they did. The semi-final was really the tougher game, that was their final.”

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