MILAN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Bruce Mouat's British men's curling team will be attempting to end a century-long wait for Olympic gold when they take to the ice at the Milano Cortina Games this month.
The silver medallists from Beijing enter the tournament as favourites after a stellar 2024-25 season in which they became the first rink to win four Grand Slams in one campaign and capture the 2025 world championships.
Britain's men last struck Olympic gold when curling made its debut as an Olympic sport at the 1924 Games in Chamonix, and have not stood atop the podium since it was added back to the programme in 1998 at Nagano.
But defending champions Sweden, led by Niklas Edin, will not surrender their crown easily.
The Swedes finished the 2024-25 season ranked 13th in the world, leading many to write them off, but they have found form at the perfect time, beating Team Mouat in the semi-finals of the European Championships in November en route to the title.
Also in the mix are Yannick Schwaller's Swiss team, runners-up at last year's world championships, and Canada's Brad Jacobs, the 2014 champion who is looking to add another Olympic gold to his collection.
HOMAN LEADS CANADIAN CHARGE
Despite being the curling capital of the world, Canada have not managed to win an Olympic men's or women's title since the Sochi Games in 2014, with their last gold medal coming in 2018 during the inaugural mixed doubles competition.
Rachel Homan's women's team offer their best hope of ending that barren run, having won back-to-back world titles in 2024 and 2025.
Switzerland's four-times world champion Silvana Tirinzoni poses the biggest threat to Homan, with her team picking up Grand Slam victories in December and January.
Defending champions Britain will be led by Sophie Jackson, after skip Eve Muirhead announced her retirement in 2022 having won gold in Beijing.
LOCAL HEROES KICK OFF CURLING ACTION
The curling competition in Cortina kicks off with the mixed doubles on Wednesday, and local fans will have plenty to cheer for as the Italian pairing of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner defend their gold.
Constantini, a Cortina native, and Mosaner parted ways for three years following their Beijing triumph, before linking up again in 2025 and going on to win the world championships in May.
They will face stiff competition in a stacked field, which includes Norway's two-time Olympic medallists Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien, 2021 world champions Jennifer Dodds and Mouat of Britain and 2023 world champions Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse of the U.S..
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
