Olympic champion curler Muirhead comes out of retirement

Winter Olympic gold medallist Eve Muirhead has reversed her retirement, saying being Team GB's chef de mission at this year's Games has inspired her to return to curling after four years away.

The 36-year-old will team up with two-time Olympic silver medallist Bobby Lammie in mixed doubles this season - the pair having won the world title in 2022 - with a view to ultimately reaching the Alpes 2030 Games.

Four-time Olympian Muirhead stepped away from competing after winning gold in Beijing four years ago, and subsequently spoke about the mental health challenges she experienced towards the end of a 15-year struggle to win gold.

The Scot was Team GB's chef de mission at the Milan-Cortina Games in February and says that "brought back emotions that I had not felt for a long time".

Muirhead explained that being away from curling gave her the chance to try new things, take on new physical challenges, and enjoy the sport "without the pressure I had placed on myself for so many years".

"But the competitive side of me never disappeared," she added. "The more time I spent around elite sport and curling, the more I began to wonder whether I still had something to give on the ice.

"I know how demanding the road to an Olympics is, but I am returning from a very different place. I feel refreshed, physically strong and excited by the challenge. I would not be coming back unless I believed I could perform at that level again."

Muirhead's gold medal-winning team-mate Vicky Drummond is also returning to the sport to rival her - and a third member of that rink, Jen Dodds - in the GB Curling mixed doubles programme.