Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds first met as children at Gogar Park Curling Club in Edinburgh. More than 25 years on, they are taking the mixed doubles curling by storm in Cortina. With seven wins from seven, they guaranteed a place in the semi-finals with two matches to play. Even Snoop Dogg has asked for a picture with them, although Dodds had to put out a plea to Mr Dogg’s team to send them the selfie.
Both Mouat and Dodds won medals in 2022 with their men’s and women’s teams but had a disappointing showing in the mixed doubles. They lost to eventual gold medallists Norway in the semi-finals before falling to Sweden in the bronze medal match. At the time they were mixed doubles world champions.
It has been a long wait for redemption but they have set themselves up as the team to beat. “We’ve got such good chemistry because we’ve built it as friends, first and foremost,” said Dodds, speaking before the Olympics. “We have that trust in each other, we support each other, and that’s a really nice part of our team dynamic.”
Mouat, in particular, has become something of a cult figure, due to his reputation for wearing a baseball cap while he plays, as well as choosing to publicly speak about his sexuality. He came out as gay in 2013 after speaking to a sports psychologist. “I feel a hot mess at the minute, but energy levels are very good,” he said to the BBC. “I am playing in a sport I love at the Olympics, so I don’t need any more adrenaline. Energy levels are very high at the minute.”
The match against the United States was a tight affair, as was to be expected between the only two unbeaten teams at that stage. The measuring device was called on three times to decide between the two teams’ stones. But ultimately it was Mouat and Dodds who were able to be the most consistent, winning 6-4, with the US conceding during the eighth end. They will play in the semi-finals tomorrow afternoon to decide what medals they will contest on Tuesday.
Photograph by Andrew Milligan/PA Wire
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