The British Olympic Association (BOA) today announced the curling alternate selected for Team GB for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games as Lauren Gray.
Gray joins Eve Muirhead, Claire Hamilton, Anna Sloan and Vicki Adams as they look to add Olympic gold in 2014 to their 2013 world title and 2013 European silver medal.
Full athlete profiles can be found on www.teamgb.com
Muirhead’s rink have been competing together in senior competitions since the 2011-12 season, winning the European title and finishing sixth in their first World Championship. They built on that success with wins at the World Championship and Players’ Championship last season and a silver at the Europeans this season.
Now all in their early 20s, the rink have been competing together for seven years in various teams throughout their junior careers. Gray started her curling career at the age of eight and is no stranger to the Olympic environment having won gold playing second at the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in 2009. She was part of the rink that won gold at the World University Games in 2011 and was crowned world junior champion in 2012.
After winning the World Championships as alternate with Eve Muirhead at the start of the year, Lauren completed her university degree over the summer. On the same day she was formally selected for Sochi, she graduated with a 2:1 in English Literature and Politics from Glasgow University.
Team GB have won two curling gold medals at past Olympic Winter Games, the most recent as Rhona Howie (previously known as Rhona Martin) skipped her rink to victory in a nail-biting final against Switzerland at the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics. Howie is now the current women’s Head Coach and is hoping to use her experience to guide the rink to success in Sochi.
Lauren Gray speaks about her selection:
Team GB’s Chef de Mission for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Mike Hay said:
Team GB Curling Team Leader Dave Crosbee commented:
British Curling Women’s Head Coach Rhona Howie added: