"This is a moment I dreamed of as a young child"; Great Britain women's skip Eve Muirhead in tears on the podium as she celebrated winning curling gold for the first time at her fourth Winter Olympic Games; Team GB thrashed Japan 10-3 in the final to emulate Rhona Martin's team of 2002
Monday 21 February 2022 07:52, UK
Eve Muirhead could not hold back the tears as she stood on top of the podium after leading Britain to victory over Japan in the women's curling final on Sunday, securing the nation's only gold medal of the Beijing Games.
Twenty years after Rhona Martin sent down her "Stone of Destiny" at the Salt Lake City Games to win gold, Muirhead emulated her fellow Scot's success as Britain dominated from the start and wrapped up a 10-3 win with an end to spare.
Muirhead, who won Olympic gold at the fourth time of asking alongside Games debutants Jennifer Dodds, Hailey Duff and Vicky Wright, said it was an "incredible" moment.
"To think it was 20 years ago when Rhona Martin made history in Britain by winning that gold medal," she added. "We've followed in her footsteps and done it.
"This is a moment I dreamed of as a young child. Having lost two semi-finals and then to come out and have that great battle against Sweden, we knew this was a great opportunity we might never get again.
"I definitely made the most of it, I prepped the same as I've prepped for every other game. To stand on the podium and get that gold medal round your neck is a moment I'll never forget."
Muirhead effectively sealed the win in the seventh end after sending Japan's sole red rock flying to score four, the shot receiving thunderous applause from the men's team, who lost to Sweden in the gold medal match on Saturday.
Satsuki Fujisawa's Japan won their second straight Olympic medal, going one better than their finish in Pyeongchang four years ago when they pipped Britain to bronze.
The result also served as redemption for Muirhead, whose mistake in the Pyeongchang bronze medal match saw Japan finish on the podium instead of Britain.
"I have waited a long time," said the 31-year-old, who also won bronze in Sochi in 2014.
"Coming in fourth in Pyeongchang was incredibly tough. It took me a long time to get over that and even now I still think of that shot.
"It's a horrible place to finish, but I came back because I knew I was capable of getting a medal and I did it. It's all thanks to these girls who have helped me get here."
Muirhead said she still could not wrap her head around the fact she was an Olympic champion.
"Dreams do come true. It just doesn't feel real. It's going to take a long time to sink in, because I'm not sure it has yet."
