3 April 2024

“It definitely changed our lives” — life after the Olympic Games

Curling’s status as an Olympic sport has been largely positive. Being an Olympic sport has helped curling find funding for elite programmes, bring curling to new fans and develop new facilities.

And this influence is there within the curling family too. At the 2024 LGT World Men’s Championship in Schaffhausen, where the teams are starting the qualification journey for the 2026 Olympic competition in Cortina, Olympic medallists can be found everywhere.

On the ice, three teams are skipped by Olympic champions – Canada, Sweden and United States. Many Olympic medallists are to be found in the teams playing.

On the bench, seven teams have coaches who are Olympic medallists – Canada, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland and Switzerland.

In the World Curling TV commentary booths, there are two Olympic champions – Rhona Howie from Great Britain and Kevin Martin from Canada, who are joined by Great Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Tom Brewster.

Eagle-eyed spectators will have seen Olympic champions Patrick Huerlimann from Switzerland and Norway’s Pal Trulsen sitting on the stands, watching the action.

In her role as Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, Olympic champion Jill Officer has been involved in the World Curling meetings held in conjunction with the championship and Canada’s Amy Nixon is there too.

There are many more Olympians in Schaffhausen, but speak to any of them and you will hear how much their Olympic achievements meant to them back then and now.

For example, listen to John Shuster, skip of United States gold medallists from 2018. He speaks for many of his fellow Olympians when he says, “I knew that it was probably going to change our lives. We had put our lives’ work into it, and it was validation for all the work that our team had put into it.” 

And what does he think now? “It definitely changed our lives!” he laughs, “but I carry that badge of honour with the utmost care. I love sharing my gold medal with everyone in the country and in my curling community. It’s opened up doors for me to share my story and be an ambassador.”

Or, how about Canada’s Mark Nichols, “It meant everything. We were young in our careers when we won in 2006, but growing up, I’d always been a fan of the Olympics and I’d always dreamed of being that person who would stand on top of the podium, so it meant the world to me.

“We did everything we could to win. That moment was so special – you take it for granted as an athlete, but you never know if you’re ever going to get a chance to do it again, you may never get back.”

Jill Officer won her gold in 2014 in Sochi and she says, “Because it was ten years ago, I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently. I reflect on it with a lot of pride and with a lot of gratitude. The whole experience was magical, and I look back on that with gratitude, to have that opportunity with the girls I had it with. It’s still emotional for me.”

E. J. Harnden is another Canadian champion who looks back fondly. He says, “It meant the world to me, and it would be hard to repeat that feeling. It’s pretty cool – I have two young children; my daughter is almost nine and my son is six. They’re starting to get a little bit of an idea of what dad does and some of the accomplishments that I have been able to achieve.”

“My daughter said, ‘not too many people have won an Olympic gold like you dad’ and I said, ‘you’re right honey’ and that’s when it hit me.”

Switzerland’s Patrick Huerlimann was the skip of the first men’s Olympic champions, at the 1998 Nagano Games. He recalls, “It was the pinnacle of the sport and a dream come true. We achieved this gold medal as a team. We had played together for many years, so this was really, really special.”  

Also, the Swiss team came from the Lausanne Club Olympique and Juan Antonio Samaranch, the then President of the International Olympic Committee, was a member of that club. This meant that, as Patrick explains, “Juan Antonio Samaranch presented the medals himself, as we were from his club. It was extremely special.” 

Patrick also recalls the reception his team received when they got home, “Switzerland went crazy, we had thousands waiting for us at the airport, it was live on Swiss TV at prime time.”

Now, back at Schaffhausen, he says, “For me it’s been very special to come back to a curling arena like this. It brings back memories and it gives me goosebumps, it’s a very special feeling.”

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