Forfar's Vicky Wright enjoys European championship success

Vicky Wright, second from the left, with the victorious squad. Pic courtesy of WCF / Céline Stucki

The Scots were in emphatic form across the duration of the tournament in Lillehammer, Norway.

And it was a double success at the championships, with the Scottish men also lifting the title in their event.

Defending champions Sweden lay in wait for Scotland, who had topped the round-robin rankings, in the gold medal final.

Wright, who was vice-captain, and her team mates kept the Swedes at arm’s reach, winning the final 7-4.

It was a first gold medal for the Angus curler, who was delighted to have played a part in the historic and memorable victory.

She said: “The final was always going to be a hard match to win and we knew that going into it, but we had belief we could do it.

"The whole experience was something I will never forget.

"It is only the third time we have properly competed as a five-person team this cycle and for all of us to pull together and have such a phenomenal week was brilliant and shows the strength in character we all have.”

Wright, who works as an NHS Forth Valley staff nurse, doesn’t feel any pressure playing in the big matches, instead it is more of a release from dealing with the difficult situations she faces in her day to day life.

"On a personal level it was amazing to win a gold medal especially considering the year we have had with Covid-19.

"Juggling work has been difficult and I am so lucky to be allowed to compete at the highest level while having a rewarding job.

"It’s been a hard year and I actually see the trips as a way to get away from it all.”

Team Muirhead now travel to the Netherlands next month to compete in a qualifier in hope of securing one of only three spaces left at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Wright believes they can qualify, despite difficult opponents with the Japanese and Korean teams all looking to secure a spot.

"The confidence is high and we believe we can qualify, the way we played at the weekend was beyond even our expectations and we just need to trust in the ability we have as a group.”