21 March 2025
Taking steps for Olympic success: Team Switzerland adds Ott at coach
When your team has already won four world titles and are the two-time defending European champions, what do you do to get even better?
How about bringing in someone who has done it all before, but who has also achieved what has proven to be elusive for you—like winning Olympic medals?
That is just what Silvana Tirinzoni’s Team Switzerland have done. They have brought in two-time Olympic silver medallist skip Mirjam Ott onto their bench as a second coach to work alongside long-time team coach Pierre Charette.
Ott explains, “The team asked me about a month ago if I would like to join them as a second coach. They have been working with Pierre (Charette) for a long time, and they just wanted to have a coach who would be closer to the team than a national coach. And as I also have a lot of experience, they thought it would be a good thing for the team and their progress.”
“The good thing is that I know all of them pretty well because I’ve worked with them already. We don’t live that close to each other, but Switzerland is tiny, so that doesn’t matter. I know them from past years. Silvana was lead and spare player for me, and I coached Alina’s (world champion) team.”
When asked what she thinks she can bring to the team, Ott is clear: “First of all, it’s great fun being here. I never stopped watching curling over the last ten years, so I know what’s going on, and now I’m here.”
She went on, “I think I can bring some additional experience. They’re not a young team; they are also very experienced. But as a former athlete, you really know what’s happening out on the ice—when you’re playing well, when you’re probing—so I can probably bring a bit more mental stuff to this team.”
Sights set on Olympic Games
When Mirjam considers the strengths of the team she is now working with, she is also clear, “This is a very focused and hard-working team. They have a great strength. Coming from nothing, they’ve been really focused, and I love the way they are just going for it.”
Looking forward, Mirjam is clear about expectations… and targets. “We’re just taking it game for game. Everybody is expecting that they’re going to medal again here—a gold medal perhaps—but as you see, there are very strong teams here, with very close games.”
“I think we’re going through to the Olympics together. This is the first event now, so we will stick together and see what the future brings. But I hope the future brings a lot of good games and a lot of good curling, and I hope I can support them through Cortina. It will be great.”
The rest of the curling world will be watching on… with interest.
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