Bruce MOUAT

BRITISH OLYMPIC HISTORY
Having been selected to represent Great Britain in men's and mixed doubles curling at Beijing 2022, he will become the first British Olympian to compete in two disciplines. "I don’t think I ever dreamed of being able to play in two Olympic disciplines when I was younger, so to have that opportunity to do so makes it even better. It’s something I will have for the rest of my life.” (britishcurling.org.uk, 14 Oct 2021)

SILVER LINING
Missed out on qualifying for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games after finishing 11th at the 2017 World Mixed Doubles Championships in Lethbridge, with partner Gina Aitken. Needing to finish in the top-eight, the pair was eliminated by Canada's Reid Carruthers and Joanne Courtney in the Round of 16. As a result, this allowed him to compete in men's team competitions, shortly being contacted by current teammates Grant Hardie and Hammy McMillan.

PERFECT START
In September 2017, Team Mouat competed at their first events in Oakville, ON (CAN), winning both titles undefeated. The team currently hold a 30-1 record at this location. "We were a new team and we really didn’t get the funding we were hoping for from our government body. We were ranked fourth out of the major [Scottish] teams (behind Kyle Smith, Tom Brewster and Greg Drummond). Then we came to Oakville, put a stake in the ground and said we are here, we’re going to climb the rankings. We proved ourselves that year and from that point on we’ve not had the disappointment of not getting our recognition.” (Athlete, 12 Sep 2021)

ANALYTICAL MINDSET
Believes in a data-led approach to curling. "I don’t think that we can have too much data. We’re having to make tough choices, and one option might give us a 60% chance of winning but if we go for another option, we might have only a 40% chance. That’s information we're now trying to take on during each game. We’re always looking for that extra one or two per cent to beat the world’s best." (eurosport.com, 21 Oct 2021)

STONE ROTATION
The average curling stone rotates three and four times between the point of release and arrival at the intended destination. Mouat and his team throw between five and six rotations, believing the additional rotations allow the stone to be better manipulated when directionally swept/brushed. (olympics.com, 26 Oct 2021)

CONFUSING DEMEANOR
“Off the ice, I don't take life too seriously, but when I'm on the ice you'll see that I've got a bit of a poker face and I don't tend to show much emotion.” (eurosport.com, 9 Nov 2021)

COMING OUT
In 2014, after a discussion with a sport psychologist, Mouat told his junior teammates he was gay. "She was the one who helped me realise that being gay didn’t really matter in terms of a sport, it’s not going to affect how I play, but that before I had come out it was affecting how I played. I feel you have to have a great team dynamic in a curling team and to have that you have to be truthful and tell them exactly what you’re feeling. I just felt like (before) I couldn’t do that."

After he managed to tell them, the squad had a great season, winning bronze at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallin, before winning gold in 2016 (Copenhagen). "I hope my experience makes it easier for younger players. Telling my team was potentially one of the scariest things. I relied on them because curling is a team sport and if I told them and they had a bad reaction then I wouldn't be able to play in that team, but I feel that if younger people are wanting to come out in curling it’s a very safe space to do it. For me, coming out was such a good experience in terms of the way I did it through sport. It just helped me feel totally at home when I was on the ice with my team." (bbc.com, 8 Dec2021)

© Data by Sports Data Warehouse

Won silver at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in the men’s team event after finishing fourth in mixed doubles.

Second non-Canadian skip to win a Grand Slam title, after Niklas Edin (SWE), at the 2017 National in Sault Ste. Marie. At age 23 he became the youngest men's skip to win a Grand Slam event, behind John Morris (CAN) who won the 2004 Players' Championship at age 25.