Team GB's gold medal-winning curling skip Eve Muirhead is ready for 'craziness' back in the UK after Olympic success

ByRob Hemingway

Updated 21/02/2022 at 15:45 GMT

Team GB's women's curling skip Eve Muirhead is ready for "a couple of weeks of craziness" in the UK following her team's gold medal success at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Muirhead - together with Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff - brought home Britain's only gold, but it's one they hope can inspire the next generation.

Team GB's gold medal-winning women's curling skip Eve Muirhead says she is expecting "a few weeks of craziness" following her team's exploits at the Beijing Olympics.

Muirhead spearheaded a group of Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff to , beating Japan in the final 10-3.

The curlers will therefore enjoy significant exposure as they return to Britain, along with the men's curling team who won Team GB's only other medal - a silver.

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Speaking to Eurosport prior to flying back to the UK, Muirhead said: "It's been such an exciting journey out here in Beijing but the chance to go home now is really exciting because we get the chance to see family and show off this medal to everyone back in Britain.

"We couldn't have asked for any more out here in Beijing and it's been an Olympic Games that of course none of us will ever forget. First things first we're so grateful and happy that the Olympics took place because we know with the pandemic happening there were lots of questions on whether it would take place so we're very delighted and we'd like to thank everybody that helped do that.

"I'm sure it's going to be a few weeks of craziness but it's going to be definitely worth it.

• ‘One of the best skips of all time’ - Mouat hails ‘unreal’ Muirhead

"I haven't actually put my proper phone on. I only had a certain amount of numbers on my phone that we had out here in China. I've been off social media completely so I'm actually looking forward to - well I don't know if I am - I think I am looking forward to switching on my phone when I land, but I know through social media we have had a lot of really nice messages from so many great people and we thank them for all of them."

Duff would love her team's success to inspire the next generation.

"I think it's really amazing [that curling is now so popular in Britain]," she said.

"Hopefully it encourages more people to try curling and get into curling, because I think that's really important. We've not seen exactly how much of an impact we've had yet so that'll be really like fun and interesting to see what we've managed to do when we get back to London."

For the men's team of Bruce Mouat - who was GB's flag bearer at the closing ceremony - Hammy McMillan, Bobby Lammie and Grant Hardie, the silver that "stung" at the time has become something they now recognise the significance of.

'Really proud of what we've done' - Team Mouat reflect on silver medal at Beijing

McMillan said: "We've had a couple of days to let it sink in and we're really proud of what we've done.

"It's our first Olympics as a four - with Ross [Whyte] it's five - but we're really happy with what we've done.

"Our phones have been going off the hook.

"The fact that we're getting messages from not just family and friends but everybody in the UK - it's really starting to hit home what we've done here."

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The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+.

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