Beijing 2022 GB curling skip Eve Muirhead: “This team has a lot of resilience"

Team GB are semi-final bound at the women's curling competition at Beijing 2022.

Eve Muirhead, Jennifer Dodds, Vicky Wright, and Hailey Duff defeated ROC convincingly 9-4 to set up an intriguing semi-final against Sweden.

Team Muirhead finished the round robin stage in third place with a 5-4 record. They will be back in action on Friday 18 February at 20:05 local time with a place in the final on the line.

Muirhead on a resilient squad

Skip Muirhead spoke about the significance of Great Britain's achievement after the win over ROC, and other results going their way to guarantee the third-pace finish.

"It's very hard to concentrate fully for three hours, so I'm not going to lie, I had one eye looking across at the [other] games," Muirhead said

"I hope I didn't show it. It's always nice to keep an eye out when you know its either going to get you an Olympic qualifying semi-final spot or not."

Team GB lost their very first match of the Games, a narrow 6-5 defeat by fellow semi-finalist and the team with the best round robin record of 8-1, Switzerland.

But Scot Muirhead praised the way they fought back.

"This team have got a lot of resilience. That's one thing we've showed all season. We've come from a squad of nine people to a team that have won the Europeans, qualified for the Olympic Games and now have a semi-final spot.

"I don't think you can turn your back on this team. We've shown a lot of character, a lot of grit and determination and we fully deserve the spot."

'I don't want it to go the way that 2018 went'

Team GB lost the 2018 Olympic Winter Games semi-final to Sweden before missing out on bronze to Japan in devastating fashion.

"I don't want to be reminded of that," Muirhead said. "This is my third Olympic semi-final but I don't want it to go the way that 2018 went.

"That was tough but I believe in us as a team, with the amount we've practiced, the amount we've trained, the amount we trust each other and enjoy it.

"All we can do is curl the way we have been all week and if we carry on that and carry on the momentum, we definitely won't be far away."

Team Muirhead defeated Sweden 8-2 in round robin session 2 back on 10 February.

"We've beaten them the last two times we've played them. But who cares about that? It's tomorrow that matters.

"We could beat them every single time we play them but if you lose tomorrow, it doesn't matter.

"We'll go in with as much focus as we have in every other game. I know the team will do a fantastic job to get us there.

'We reset and go hard tomorrow'

The team has little time to recover with the semi-final just over 24 hours after the start of the ROC match.

"I always say that the round-robin is one competition and the playoffs is another one.

"I definitely think that as a team, we are a playoffs team.

"We've proven that we're capable of winning that gold medal as a five, with Mili Smith as well as our alternate. We reset again tonight and go hard tomorrow."

Along with Britain, two other European sides qualified for the semi-finals, Switzerland and Sweden, with Japan the lone Asian side making it through.

"I think for curling it is fantastic to see three European teams in the playoffs," Muirhead said. "It doesn't often happen. It shows that European curling right now is very dominant."

Hoping to do Great Britain proud

Surprisingly, Team GB has yet to win a medal at these Winter Olympics, but that will change as the men's curling team are guaranteed a medal after defeating 2018 gold medallists USA 8-4 in the semi-finals on Thursday.

"As Team GB, you are always proud to have Great Britain on your back, we are glued to the TV any time there is a GB athlete on," Muirhead said.

"We support them from start to finish, I am very proud of how my team have done.

"The boys have done fantastic. I really hope to do Great Britain proud at home."

When and where to watch the GB women's curling team at Beijing 2022

Team Muirhead's semi-final against Sweden is set for Friday 18 February at 20:05 local time (just after midday in Britain) with a place in the final on the line.

From the Opening Ceremony to athlete action, here's where and how you can watch the Winter Games in your region via the Official Olympic Broadcast Partners.

Keep up with all the action in our Live Blog updates throughout Beijing 2022, here.