13 December 2023

Eve Muirhead wins Britain’s National Lottery Spirit of Sport Award

In her latest accolade since her achievement at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, Britain’s gold medal-winning skip Eve Muirhead has been awarded the National Lottery Spirit of Sport Award — “recognising fair play and those who inspire others” — by the Sports Journalists’ Association of the United Kingdom.

On the evening of 7 December, Eve was presented with her award by fellow Olympic champion Greg Rutherford (Great Britain, long jump, London 2012) at the prestigious British Sports Awards, held at London’s iconic cricket ground, the Kia Oval. This was the 75^th staging of the event.

These awards date all the way back to 1949, with the Sports Journalists’ Association being one of the most respected and influential organisations of its kind.

Apart from putting the spotlight back onto her gold medal achievement against Japan, TV personality and event host Jim Rosenthal helped provide some background as to why Eve was selected for this award.

And the key reason is that Eve is poised to act as Chef de Mission for the entire Great Britain team at the forthcoming Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games, being staged in Korea in February.

Another example of Eve’s inspirational ways was that she rushed straight from the gala in the heart of London to catch a plane to Aberdeen to be rink-side when the team she is currently coaching – Team Fay Henderson – took to the ice for their evening game. It will come as no surprise to learn that the team went on to win the tournament.

Eve retired in the summer of 2022 as reigning women’s Olympic and European champion and world mixed doubles champion. At the time, she said “It’s always nice to go out on the top, and I felt this was the time to hang up my curling shoes from elite level. I’m excited about the future, but I’m also scared — it’s a good scared, though.”

Now, over a year later, what has she been up to?

Certainly, viewers who tune into World Curling championships via Eurosport will have had the benefit of her expert commentary, and that role is going to continue and possibly expand as the next Olympic Winter Games approach.

In other journalistic work, she continues to write a regular major sporting column in the pages of her local newspaper, the Dundee Courier, and her scribbling activities may well expand, too.

Not surprisingly, she has been signed up as brand ambassador by Kay’s Scotland, manufacturer of all Ailsa Craig curling stones used at World Curling events.

In addition, Eve has arrangements with other companies, such as Castore Sportswear and investment managers RBC Brewin Dolphin.

Among all this activity, Eve has managed a few sporting achievements, too. She ran the London Marathon in less than three and a half hours, and continues to play golf at a high level. She does, however, concede that her bagpipe-playing has suffered a bit recently.

But for the moment, it’s her role as GB Chef de Mission that is consuming most of her time. “It’s just getting crazy busy,” she says.

Once that’s over, Eve plans to build her coaching activities. About her current work with Team Henderson, she says, “Perhaps it’s not so much about coaching itself, it’s passing on experiences, too.”

She says, “Now, after years as an elite athlete, I realise that there’s a life out there. I wouldn’t change what happened for anything, but now, it’s a question of ‘when’ I can celebrate with family and friends, not ’if’.”

Now, while the times of being able to watch Eve Muirhead perform at top curling events around the world might be over, given her commitment to a sporting life in general, and coaching in particular, there is every chance that curling will be seeing — and hearing — even more of Olympic champion Eve Muirhead OBE in the future.