Bruce Mouat: Playing video games with grandpa kickstarted my curling career

Many Olympians follow their parents into their sport. Some were inspired by watching footage of past legends.

But Great Britain's curling star Bruce Mouat had his interest piqued by playing a video game called 'Graphite' with his late grandfather.

“It has been a long time since I played it,” Mouat told Mail Online sport.

“My grandpa Jack was the one who found it. I was probably about 10 and would sit in Grandpa's lap and play the game during summer holidays in the north of Scotland.

“He used to get really frustrated because I used to beat him all the time. It is a full circle moment that I now get to come to the Olympics to compete.

“I am sure Grandpa would be very proud if he was here.”

At the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, Mouat will feature in the curling mixed doubles with his friend since childhood Jen Dodds, and in the men’s tournament, in which he skippers his team. He is the first British Olympian to feature in both events at a Games.

It’s safe to say what Great Britain expects. The country hasn’t had a curling gold medallist for 20 years. The nation’s last success was atSochi 2014when**Eve MuirheadandDavid Murdoch**brought home bronze and silver respectively.

Mouat is the number 1-ranked male curler in the world. He and Dodds won the World Championships in May, where they competed as Scotland.

Mouat also won the men’s European Championships in December, again under the Scottish flag, along with his quartet of Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan Jr.

Mouat has described himself as “over the moon” with his pre-Games form.

As regards expectations, the 27-year-old from Stirling echoed recent comments by Mikaela Shiffrin about how much difficult work goes into the glory that fans hope to witness on TV.

“I always describe it as like an iceberg,” said Team GB’s curling icon.

“People see the great 20 per cent when maybe you're in the media or if you've won medals, but they don't really understand how hard we have to work to get there.”

This includes some serious homework. Mouat’s men’s team has serious quantities of data available from past matches on shot selection and shot strategy at different points in games. They crunch as much of it as they can manage in a bid to improve performances.

Mouat has described Hardie as his right-hand man on tactics, a highly intelligent player who keeps his skip grounded.

And there’s no shirking difficult conversations among the team-mates.

“As much as feelings might be hurt in a certain situation, I think it almost makes you stronger when you’ve been able to have those conversations,” said Mouat.

Dodd has also said the mixed pair’s longstanding friendship creates a similar dynamic.

“If we need to have an honest conversation, we just know it’s to make the team better and we don't take things personally,” she said.

Mouat’s preference for openness was in evidence when he came out as gay eight years ago.

“If I was at this stage (now), I don’t think I would need to come out,” said the Scot.

“I would just be who I am. Coming out relieved some stress I was feeling at the time. Eight years on, it doesn’t really matter.”

But Mouat said he does take inspiration from openly gay British Olympic diving star Tom Daley.

"Seeing an open athlete, and having success as well, it definitely encouraged me to live my authentically and be proud of who I am.

“It proved to me that I can achieve great things in sport.”

When to watch Bruce Mouat in competition at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022?

The mixed curling will take place from 2 February, continuing every day until the bronze and gold medal matches on Tuesday 8 February.

The men’s tournament begins on Wednesday 9 February, continuing every day until Saturday 19 February. The bronze medal match takes place on Friday 18 February at 14:05 (local time, 22:05 PST on Thursday 17 February ) and the gold medal match is at 14:05 (local time) on Saturday 19 February (22:05 PST, Friday 18 February).