Bruce Mouat vows to break a cycle of Olympic near-misses, launching Great Britain’s men’s curling campaign with a commanding 9-4 victory over China. Less than 24 hours after securing fourth place in mixed doubles alongside Jen Dodds for the second straight Games, Mouat returned to the ice as skip and delivered a flawless performance.
From Beijing Heartbreak to World Dominance
In Beijing, Mouat endured agony in mixed doubles followed by a narrow silver in the team event against Sweden. Since then, his squad—featuring Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, and Hammy McMillan Jr.—has dominated the sport. The team captured gold at the 2023 and 2025 World Championships, earned medals in the last four European Championships, and holds the top world ranking. Favorites in Cortina, they aim to convert past lessons into gold.
Mouat refuses to let the mixed doubles semifinal and bronze medal defeats derail the team effort, despite a strong round-robin showing. Against China, he showcased precision, guiding his side to the win with one end remaining. This sets up a high-stakes rematch with defending champions Sweden, their first Olympic clash since Beijing after over 20 meetings.
Key Moments and Aggressive Play
China had edged Mouat’s team 6-5 earlier this season, but faltered on the Olympic stage. Great Britain pulled ahead with three points in the third end, exploiting China’s tactical errors. Mouat’s bold call for three points in the seventh end sealed the momentum shift.
“Honestly, the experience that we had in Beijing has helped a lot,” Mouat stated. “I knew that it was the exact same scenario so it was actually easier for me to deal with it this time around. But a lot of sleep, a lot of food, a lot of hydration, all the normal stuff. I had a really good talk with my sports psychologist and just refreshed, and I’m ready to go again.”
Mouat praised the matchup ahead: “It’s a long time ago since Sweden, but it should be pretty cool to play them on the Olympic ice again. We’ve been working really hard for the last four years to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. We’ll hopefully see the hard work pay off tomorrow.”
Team Resilience and Family Ties
Team curling demands endurance across more stones, ends, and matches. Mouat conserved energy with the early finish, content with the result. “I am very proud of that performance,” he added. “The boys and I haven’t played a game since mid-January, so it was nice to feel like we were stepping back onto the ice as if we had played yesterday. I’m proud of how everyone performed and how they’re all sliding.”
British curling boasts deep family roots: Hardie and McMillan are cousins, while Hammy McMillan Jr.’s father competed in the 1992 and 2002 Olympics. The close-knit group rallied behind their skip. Hardie noted, “The way he responded today after the disappointment of yesterday was all credit to him. I think he had a 95 per cent plus game there so that’s a good way to forget about yesterday and kick off this week. He’s a very resilient guy.”
