Eve Muirhead is Team GB’s curling icon who broke Winter Olympics record but has big new role in Milan

Team GB are targeting a record medal haul at the upcoming Winter Olympics, and they have a proven winner leading their charge.

The 25th edition of the Games is under way and Eve Muirhead is the woman at the wheel in Milan Cortina 2026 as Britain’s chef de mission.

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A four-time Olympian, the former curling skip called time on her legendary career in 2022 after clinching a gold medal in Beijing.

Now, four years on, the Scot is in Italy in an entirely different capacity as she looks to inspire Britain’s athletes to glory.

Appointed as chef de mission in 2024 for this year’s Winter Games, which run until February 22, Muirhead will lead Team GB and take responsibility for logistics and athlete welfare.

Her job doesn’t stop there, with the 35-year-old also the link between athletes, coaches and the organising committee.

Muirhead will have her work cut out over the next three weeks, with Britain naming a 53-strong squad set to take part across 16 disciplines held in 25 different venues across the north of Italy.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics just around the corner, here is everything you need to know about the curling great set to lead Team GB over the next month.

Who is Eve Muirhead?

Hailing from Perth, Scotland, Muirhead was just 19 when she made her Olympic debut at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Selected as skip for Britain’s Women’s curling team, she was unable to deliver a medal on her first appearance at the sporting showpiece.

But Muirhead went one better at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where she led Team GB to a bronze medal and became the youngest-ever skip to make a podium in the process.

After missing out on a medal in 2018, her defining moment came four years later in Beijing.

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Chosen as one of her country’s flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony, the Perthshire native skipped Team Muirhead to curling gold with a 10-3 victory over Japan in the final.

With Britain claiming just two podium finishes in the last edition, curling glory represented their only gold medal of the Games.

Muirhead bowed out from the sport on a high, announcing her retirement from curling in August 2022, six months after glory in Beijing.

Away from her Olympic achievements, she clinched World Championship gold in 2013 and is a three-time European champion.

Team GB eyeing record in Italy

Following her retirement, Muirhead served as chef de mission for Team GB at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

She proved a huge success in the role, as Britain claimed six medals overall, including four golds, to produce their most successful winter event on record.

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The curling great was rewarded for her impressive leadership, being appointed chef de mission for Milan/Cortina in May 2024.

And Muirhead has been set some huge goals over the coming weeks, with Team GB funding body UK Sport targeting between four to eight medals in the 2026 Games.

Britain’s current record medal haul is five, set in Sochi in 2014 and then matched in Pyeongchang four years later.

And while Muirhead’s curling glory made up for half of Team GB’s medals in an underwhelming 2022 Games, she insisted there is every reason to be confident this time around.

In a recent interview with Olympics.com, she said: “We had a fantastic winter season last season with nine world championship medals.

“I think that just shows the kind of opportunity that we have.

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“We’re an emerging winter nation. We’ve got a lot of potential. We’re going to cherish every opportunity that we get and every chance that we get.

“It’s down to myself and the team around me to help the athletes get that perfect environment to allow them to perform the best they can.”

More than a curling icon

While many will know Muirhead for her achievements on the ice rink, that barely scratches the surface when it comes to her many talents.

Once a scratch golfer, the Scot now plays off a handicap of three, and her expertise was sought out at the 2022 Open Championship, where she appeared on radio commentary for the major’s 150th edition.

If that wasn’t enough, Muirhead also ran the London Marathon in 2023, finishing with an impressive time of 3:25:14, after being trained by none other than British 1500m Olympics medallist Steve Cram.

Her talents don’t end there, with Muirhead regularly taking part in HYROX events, most recently competing in Verona, Italy.

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Away from sport, the Scot is an accomplished bagpiper, and has even competed at numerous World Pipe Band Championships.