Bruce Mouat launches a strong campaign for team gold at the Winter Olympics, overcoming recent mixed doubles disappointment with a commanding performance.
Emphatic Win Over China
Just over 24 hours after finishing fourth in mixed doubles with Jen Dodds for the second straight Olympics, Mouat returns to the ice as men’s skip. He leads Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, and Hammy McMillan Jr. to a decisive 9-4 victory against China, securing the win with an end remaining.
Mouat delivers precise shots throughout, showcasing steady control after earlier inconsistencies. Great Britain pulls ahead with a three-point score in the third end, while China struggles with tactics and execution. Mouat opts for aggression in the seventh end, successfully securing three points instead of settling for two.
Path to Redemption
At the Beijing Games, Mouat endures mixed doubles setback followed by a narrow silver in the team event, edged out by Sweden. Since then, the squad dominates: claiming gold at the 2023 and 2025 World Championships, medaling in the last four European Championships, and holding the top world ranking.
They face defending champions Sweden next, a matchup charged with history. The teams clash more than 20 times since Beijing, now under Olympic lights for the first time. China had edged Mouat’s team 6-5 earlier this season, but falters on this stage.
Mouat’s Mindset and Team Support
“Honestly, the experience that we had in Beijing has helped a lot,” Mouat states. “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 that you would want to do. I had a really good talk with my sports psychologist and just refreshed, and I’m ready to go again.”
“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 at this for the last four years to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. We’ll hopefully see the hard work pay off tomorrow in the game against Sweden.”
Mouat praises the performance: “I am very proud of that performance. I think the boys and I haven’t played a game since mid-January, probably. So it was nice to just 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. They’ve obviously put in a lot of work over the last two weeks that I’ve not been there. And I’m proud of myself on how I rebounded after a tough day yesterday.”
Teammate Grant Hardie highlights Mouat’s resilience: “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. In Beijing we had a little bit of work to do to pick him up with it being his first time, but he knows what he needs to do to get ready for today and he did that.”
British Curling’s Tight-Knit Bonds
British curling boasts deep connections: Hardie and McMillan are cousins, and McMillan’s father competed in the 1992 and 2002 Olympics. This unity bolsters their drive as favorites in Cortina at Milano Cortina 2026.
