Five million Britons stayed up late watching Team GB skipper Rhona Martin seal the deal on a triumphant Olympic Gold victory. Eve Muirhead, aged 12 at the time, was among the viewers who watched the epic match, branded as the Stone of Destiny, and now hopes to emulate the success of Martin as she prepares to lead the women’s team at the 2010 Vancouver games.
The Scot was chosen for the role by the British Olympic Association on Wednesday and will be joined by Jackie Lockhart, Kirsty Hay, Kelly Wood and Lorna Vevers: “It is really exciting, it has been fantastic to hear that and it is great to know that you have finally got your position in the GB team and to go out there and represent Great Britain is going to be a fabulous achievement,” she said.
“We have just got to build on all the things we have been doing and hopefully come home with something special from Vancouver.”
While the men’s Team GB squad are a tried and tested group, the women's squad is relatively new. The recent European Championship was the first time they competed as a team, and despite the disappointing knock-out, Muirhead is confident that the team can come up with the scores on the big stage.
“Obviously, we are disappointed and gutted, it has been a tough couple of days, but we have just got to put that behind us, we have got the big one coming up.
“I am just going to go out, relax and have fun. I have got a lot to gain out there, not so much to lose. A lot of people say I have an older team behind me but I think that is definitely a massive positive in the team.
“We are just going out there, relax and enjoy it but as soon as we are on the ice, it is going to be fierce and we are out there to win our games, perform strongly on those round robin stages and then proceed into those semi-finals.”
Clearly motivated to emulate the success of Olympic Gold skipper Rhona Martin, the 19-year-old is determined to improve the standard of the team over the next couple of events and put them in a strong a position before heading to Vancouver.
“It is great to speak to Rhona and get all her experience and also I have several Olympians in my team as well so [it is good] to get their experience and put that to myself and move forward.”
Find out the reactions of Team GB’s male skipper David Murdoch and his Olympic ambitions.
