The men’s curling team made history in 2025 as they won four of the five Grand Slams on offer, a feat never before achieved, and begin their Olympic campaign on Wednesday
Honesty is Team Mouat’s secret weapon as they vie for Olympic gold in Milan Cortina.
The men’s curling team made history in 2025 as they won four of the five Grand Slams on offer, a feat never before achieved.
Crucially, they regained their world champions title in that same year and moved their place at the top of the world rankings out of sight of any challengers.
Bobby Lammie, skip Bruce Mouat’s second, is the quietest member of the team and noted a confidence change that has allowed the team to soar.
He said: “I think one key area would be just being open and honest with each other, and always kind of looking for that extra edge and any way we can improve.
“We’re not afraid to tell each other if we think something’s lacking, whether that’s team dynamics or shot-making or technique or anything like that.
“We’re always open to helping each other and always open to feedback also. We are a team that all have our input, and we all try and do everything together.
“So, finding the balance for that and finding the rules for each person and finding how to get the best out of them and what makes them tick, is something that we’ve worked very hard on over the years.”
Losing out on gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics was not the turning point for Team Mouat; it was missing a medal entirely at the 2024 World Championships.
The men’s curling rink led by Mouat were beaten by long-time rivals Team Edin of Sweden in Beijing four years ago, losing by a point in an extra end.
However, it was a semi-final defeat at the 2024 worlds, followed by a loss in the bronze medal match, that forced a rethink and has seen the team become undisputedly the best in the world.
“It wasn’t a bad week,” Grant Hardie, Team Mouat’s vice-skip, said. “Even the semi-final against Canada, we were in a great position in the sixth end, with hammer, and we gave up a steal of three.
“The ice conditions changed quite a lot, and the other team picked up on it a lot quicker than we did, and we let that game kind of get away from us.
“Then, in the bronze medal game again, we were in complete control, we played really well. Well, Bruce played really well; he kind of kept us in the game for most of it.
“And he had a shot to win that he makes nine times out of 10, it was very unlike him to miss that shot.”
How each of the quartet reacted to the defeat speaks to their character. Hardie, an engineering graduate, immediately sought out British Curling’s performance director, Nigel Holl, to talk through how to avoid feeling the disappointment again.
The team’s cheerleader, Hammy McMillan Jr, Hardie’s cousin and son of a two-time Olympian, also called Hammy, was quick to reassure Mouat that he had won the side more games than he had lost them.
After the summer break, the team reconvened at the National Curling Academy in Stirling, prepared to have difficult conversations.
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The National Curling Academy was opened in 2017 in part thanks to UK Sport funding, and sees all members of the performance programme train alongside each other on the ice and in the gym.
The plan paid off and now it is about taking all that they have learnt and earning the one major title missing from their collection in Milan Cortina.
“There’s definitely one thing missing, maybe two if we’re counting both the mixed doubles and the men’s,” said Mouat, who’s journey to the Games has been powered by the National Lottery and as a member of UK Sport’s World Class Programme, has access to cutting-edge performance support.
“But I’m very happy with what I’ve done in my curling career so far. I would love to come away with a couple more medals and hopefully the right colour in Cortina.
“If I don’t, then I’ll move on, but I’m going to be going and working my ass off to try and make sure we do.”
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