British hopefuls chase Olympic curling glory in Beijing

‘Stones of Destiny’ have proved elusive for Great Britain in the 20 years since more than six million viewers stayed up after midnight to watch Rhona Martin conjure her famous final act of the Olympic women’s curling final in Salt Lake City.

Two medals in Sochi in 2014 went some way to satiating the nation’s quadrennial bout of curling-mania, but with three genuine medal prospects heading into Beijing, Britain has arguably never had a better chance of re-living Martin’s success.

On the eve of the start of the mixed doubles competition in the Chinese capital, the PA news agency brushes up a timely reminder of what to expect – and why another late-night curling extravaganza may prove impossible to resist.

Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds head into the mixed doubles event – making its second appearance on the Olympic programme – as reigning world champions. They begin the round-robin stage of their event against Sweden at midday on Wednesday, UK time. Mixed curling is played with a reduced five stones per team per end, and includes a ‘powerplay’ rule – available once per game, in which teams are allowed to re-position two of the stones.

Eve Muirhead heads into her fourth Olympics still chasing that elusive gold. Despite being the youngest skip to win a World Championship in 2013, and taking bronze in Sochi, Muirhead has flattered to deceive on the biggest stage. But a tough qualifying campaign – in which her otherwise inexperienced rink flirted with elimination – could prove a blessing in disguise for the steely-focused 31-year-old.

Both Mouat and Dodds will sweep straight into the start of their respective team competitions once the mixed doubles competition concludes. The women face a tough opening day against Switzerland