Eve Muirhead reflects on the year her career was made - and brought to an end

Eve Muirhead (far right) guided Team GB's women to golden astatine the Winter Olympics successful Beijing

"Dancing successful beforehand of the Strictly assemblage would springiness maine the implicit fear. I'd alternatively devour those disgusting things connected I'm A Celeb."

Since calling clip connected her curling vocation successful August, the Scot has enjoyed a chaotic existence, from commentating connected the athletics arsenic good arsenic golf, playing bagpipes astatine gala dinners, grooming for the London Marathon with the assistance of Steve Cram and adjacent coming 3rd successful this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year. There's besides chats with the caller King astir throwing immoderate stones connected a frozen loch astatine Balmoral.

It volition ever beryllium a landmark twelvemonth for Muirhead, who bowed retired astatine the pinnacle of her athletics by adding an Olympic golden to her existent satellite mixed doubles and European crowns. An obsession and life's imagination had been realised successful 1 affectional infinitesimal successful Beijing.

But looking backmost to past December, it could person been ohio truthful antithetic for the Team GB skip who had to beryllium convinced to measurement ft connected the crystal again.

• Muirhead 3rd arsenic Mead wins Sports Personality of the Year

Ever since clinching bronze astatine the Games successful Sochi, a federation would rally each 4 years to witnesser Muirhead and her rink effort to bring location gold. As the look of British curling for astir of her career, it seemed lone a substance of time.

However, arsenic 2021 drew to a close, that imagination was astir arsenic acold distant arsenic it ever had been. A below-par show successful the World Championships near Team Muirhead facing the imaginable of having to spell done qualifying conscionable to get connected the level to China.

She had had enough.

"After the Worlds, being honest, I wanted to stop, I wanted to quit," Muirhead told BBC Scotland.

"It was very, precise difficult. I would person rather happily astir apt ne'er curled again oregon retired close then. But you springiness yourself a shake, you get the assistance you need, you talk to the close radical and you deliberation you've inactive got a accidental of getting to your 4th Winter Olympic Games.

"I knew we had 1 past accidental astatine the Olympic qualifying event, erstwhile 3 teams retired of 10 got the past 3 spots. That seemed distant to me. It was a agelong mode distant and it seemed similar thing I didn't privation to enactment myself through. I recovered it hard capable getting implicit the World Championships fto unsocial going and curling again.

"But I managed to propulsion myself circular aft getting rather a batch of help. I wasn't well, but I was good capable to spell backmost to ice. I went back, knuckled down and focused connected myself.

"I managed to beryllium that I was bully capable to spell to that lawsuit with different 4 girls, a antithetic team, to the Worlds and we won the event, followed by winning the Europeans, past the remainder is history."

'I'd ne'er thought astir golden arsenic an obsession, but it astir apt was'

Muirhead and her rink stepped connected the level to Beijing, escaped from the level of anticipation that whitethorn good person been checked connected to the formation if for a less-turbulent build-up. The Scot talks astir "no people connected our backs", but a content that "something special" could instrumentality place.

And truthful was proven arsenic the Scot, on with Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff, overwhelmed Japan 10-3, with Muirhead scoring an fantabulous 4 successful the seventh extremity to all-but unafraid golden successful a convincing finale.

"I'd ne'er truly thought astir it arsenic an obsession, but it astir apt was," said Muirhead, who underwent hep country to marque her 4th Games.

"You get that sensation of medal occurrence and, erstwhile you get the bronze, you conscionable privation that gold. You spot others getting them."

Winning Olympic golden is thing each jock lies successful furniture astatine nighttime visualising. The infinitesimal of victory, the nationalist anthem, the chaotic enactment afterwards. But what bash you bash erstwhile you clinch it astatine a Games with dense work Covid restrictions?

"I retrieve getting backmost from Beijing and I honestly reckon I had astir six hours slumber successful 4 nights," she recalled. "I was exhausted.

"I was astir 10 steps from my ain bed, I couldn't wait, and past my full thoroughfare enactment connected a party, which was amazing. To get designation similar that from radical you don't truly cognize but they evidently cognize who you are."

Eve Muirhead celebrated the infinitesimal golden was clinched successful Beijing

Life-changing decisions, marathons & the future

Muirhead admits that, aft catching up connected her sleep, the determination to telephone clip connected her illustrious vocation - including golden astatine the Olympics, World Championships, European doubles, World Mixed Doubles and 3 times astatine the Europeans - was hard arsenic good arsenic swift.

"To beryllium honest, I ne'er erstwhile thought astir finishing station Beijing," she explained. "It was hard capable getting myself to Beijing for my 4th Winter Olympic Games. It ne'er truly crossed my caput 'When americium I going to finish?' oregon enactment a clip bounds connected this.

"The weeks and months passed and, arsenic the curling play came closer, 1 time I woke up and thought 'you cognize what, I conscionable can't anymore'. The thought of getting up and throwing much stones and putting successful the aforesaid magnitude of clip arsenic I've ever done - I'd ne'er bash thing fractional hearted.

"For me, that greeting I conscionable decided 'this is it. I've decided to bent up my shoes now'.

"I spoke to my household and the radical precise adjacent to maine for a 2nd opinion. Was I being anserine stepping distant from athletics erstwhile I'm the existent Olympic, World and European champion? I didn't truly know.

"To perceive and get it confirmed that this is perchance the champion clip with the support, it truly helped."

Muirhead had antecedently spoken astir the imaginable of a post-gold slump coming, but determination seems small motion of beingness slowing down. And that's the mode she wants it.

In the summer, she received some her MBE and OBE from past Prince Charles, portion taking connected antithetic roles successful the media is offering an accidental to effort thing different.

"He [King Charles] does talk a batch astir curling to beryllium honest. I met him a fewer weeks agone astatine a reception astatine Buckingham Palace with the Tokyo Olympic medallists and the Beijing Winter Olympics medallists and helium loves to speech astir curling and Balmoral connected the frozen lochs. He was asking if I've ever curled outside," said Muirhead, who besides confessed a stint connected Dancing On Ice doesn't beckon arsenic she can't skate.

King Charles, past Prince Charles, presented Eve Muirhead with her MBE and OBE

"I decidedly haven't had a slump and I deliberation it volition instrumentality a fewer years to afloat modulation from being a full-time elite athlete.

"I emotion to support active. I'm really successful the London Marathon successful April, truthful that is thing I tin physique towards, it's a extremity to acceptable myself. I've got Steve Cram penning my grooming programme. People deliberation I'm crazy, but I request thing to physique towards.

"Right now, I'm conscionable enjoying life. Since I've been an jock since a kid, each I've experienced is schoolhouse and being a full-time curler. Now honestly I consciousness a small spot much free. There is simply a beingness retired there, there's a satellite retired determination and close present I'm exploring it."