‘Hardest decision’ – Olympic champion Eve Muirhead retires from curling after lifting gold in Beijing

Olympic gold medal winner Eve Muirhead has announced her retirement from curling at the age of 32 in a statement on social media on Thursday.

Muirhead led her team to gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the first gold of her career and the only gold Team GB won at the games. In 2014 at Sochi she had become the youngest skip ever to win a medal where she and her team took bronze.

Muirhead, who called the decision the hardest she has had to make, said in her statement that she had been mulling over when to make the final call.

“I do feel that this is the right time for me to retire from curling,” said Muirhead.

“I definitely didn’t make the decision quickly. It took a lot of time to speak to people who are close to me and also to make sure that I myself was making the right choice, and of course, retiring as European, world and Olympic champion is something pretty special and something I never, ever dreamt of.”

Muirhead retires a triple world medallist, winning gold in 2013 in Riga as the highlight, as well as a three-time winner of the European Championships, including at Lillehammer in 2021. She also won the World Mixed Doubles Championship in 2022.

Muirhead, whose father and two brothers are also renowned curlers, signed off by saying to fans to “watch this space” with regards to her next move but did say she would be “getting my golf clubs out” with the additional time.

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