As one of the few collective events in the Winter Olympic Games, curling competitions that emphasize intelligence present a distinctive temperament, sober mind and rich competition experience are valuable qualities of participants, and athletes usually have a long sports life, so it is not unusual to have multiple Winter Olympic experience in the international curling community. The Beijing Winter Olympics are expected to see a number of pot altar evergreen trees.
Captain of the U.S. men's team - 5 Dynasty veterans are looking forward to defending the title
Before winning the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the U.S. men's team was not classified as one of the world's strongest teams. The U.S. team has not won a World Cup or Olympic title since 1978, and its best result at the Winter Olympics before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was third place at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. Therefore, winning the crown with five consecutive wins at that time became the biggest surprise in the curling arena of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. That was also captain John Schuster's highlight moment.
Team USA's iconic "Little Red Riding Hood"
"If you don't learn from setbacks in life or sports, you probably won't be very successful." Schuster's inspiration comes from his experiences with the past four Winter Olympics. Schuster's Winter Olympic experience originated in 2006 as part of the U.S. bronze medal team. In the subsequent two Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Sochi, the United States team failed to reach the final four, and in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic cycle, Schuster experienced leaving the national team, returning to the national team, recalling his old teammates to reorganize the team, and advancing all the way to the final to win the championship without being optimistic.
The ups and downs seem to always accompany Schuster, and the journey to Beijing is not smooth. In the domestic Winter Olympic squad selection competition, Schuster encountered a strong challenge and almost missed the opportunity to participate in the Winter Olympics for the fifth time. But what is valuable is that Schuster has a clear mind, always able to keenly find the crux of the problem from failure and quickly adjust, and look forward to the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and his fifth Winter Olympic trip with a normal mindset. "I'll enjoy every second of the Olympic experience with my teammates. I will walk into the opening ceremony like the first time, and walk into the closing ceremony like the last time. ”
British women's team captain - 4 Dynasties elite eager to regain glory
British women's team captain Eve Moorehead will embark on her fourth Winter Olympic journey in Beijing, and although the British team took the last train through the qualifying tournament, the momentum is strong.
Mullhead was a precocious teenager who participated with the team at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics at the age of 19, and although he only finished seventh, he was shocked by the grand scene of the Winter Olympics in the curling kingdom of Canada. Four years later, as captain, she led the team to a bronze medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics. However, what makes her unforgettable is not only the joy of success, but also the frustration of failure, and the regret of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and medal measures has always plagued her, "As fourth base, if you throw the last pot successfully, you will reap all the honors; if you fail, you will also get all the criticism." 」 Moorhead said she never forgot the wonderful memory of throwing a perfect curling shot to win a Winter Olympic medal and hopes to have a chance to repeat it again, which may be why Mullhead worked hard to catch the Beijing Winter Olympics shuttle bus through the missed tournament.
For Moorehead and her curling team, qualifying for the Winter Olympics for the fourth time is not an easy task. After the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, Moorehead underwent hip surgery and has been recovering for the past few years and has gone through a long and intense schedule of the 2021 World Championships, European Championships and Olympic qualifications. Mullhead believes the intensive schedule and consecutive wins will help her be more confident in the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.
Canadian women - seeking the Triple Olympics and Triple Crowns
Caitlin Rouse is one of the few athletes in the history of world curling who has tasted gold medals at multiple Winter Olympics. In 2014, Rouse was a member of the Canadian women's team, captained by Jennifer Jones, who won the Sochi Winter Olympics. Four years later, although she was not selected for the women's team, she was fortunate to partner with John Morris and win the first mixed doubles gold medal at the Winter Olympics because of the addition of mixed doubles events at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. If the third time in the Beijing Winter Olympics to win gold will be unprecedented, Rouse said, "for the third Olympic trip, I personally do not feel any pressure, every experience is different." ”
PyeongChang winning moment, image source Canadian curling official website
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Rouse will return to the women's team, and the captain will still be Jennifer Jones, the captain of the Sochi Winter Olympics when he won the championship. Jones wants to recreate the honor of the title at the Sochi Winter Olympics. The Canadian team consists of 5 people, and in addition to Jones, Rouse, Peterman and McEwen, Lisa Wigel has been added.
"The Winter Olympic gold medal wasn't the only motivator that motivated me, and of course it's incredible to bring back another gold medal to Canada. But for me enjoying the moment of playing with my teammates was the most wonderful. ”