A recent Edinburgh Napier graduate is aiming for double medal delight next week when he competes at the Winter Olympics for Team GB.
Bruce Mouat graduated from Edinburgh Napier in 2018 with a degree in International Festival and Event Management with Entrepreneurship and is currently Beijing-bound with the Team GB squad as final preparations get underway for the 2022 Winter Olympic games.
Bruce combined his studying at University with playing curling, benefitting from the University’s Dual Career programme for athletes, and he has now been selected by Team GB for two competitions in Beijing.
Alongside leading the men’s team, Bruce will also compete with childhood friend Jen Dodds in the mixed doubles competition. It’ll be the first time Team GB has been represented in this discipline at the Winter Olympics.
Bruce and his teammates go into the games with high medal hopes.
His men’s team is currently ranked number one in the world, and in the mixed doubles, Jen and Bruce are the reigning world champions after winning gold at last year’s World Mixed Doubles Championships in Aberdeen, defeating Norway 9-7 in a hard fought final.
Speaking to us from a Team GB holding camp at Crieff Hydro, Bruce told us that stepping onto the ice at the Games will be the highlight of his sporting career to date.
He said: “I wish I could see the Winter Olympics as just another competition but I think all the extra excitement that we’ve started to notice, from extra media attention to receiving lots of messages from people that I’ve maybe not spoken to in quite a while saying good luck and we’ll be watching – you start to see that the Olympics is a bigger event than most that you would ever play in.
“When I step on the ice for the first time, I think that’s definitely going to be a highlight for my career and I’m going to try and remember as much of it as is possible. I’m going to be competing for 16 days straight so it’s going to be pretty tough on me but I’m over the moon to get my spot in the team and hopefully I’ll play as good as I know I can.
“It would be a dream come true to medal once, if not twice and I just feel like I’m in a very fortunate position in that I get two attempts at it this time round. I’m looking forward to giving my all and hopefully I’ll have those medals in my luggage for when I return home.”
The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing get underway next week, with the Curling programme commencing on 2 February.
All the very best Bruce – the whole of Edinburgh Napier is right behind you and your teammates!