SOCHI 2014: Rhona Martin appointed new British curling coach

By Sportsbeat staff

RHONA Martin - who skipped Great Britain to Olympic curling gold in Salt Lake City - has been appointed as the new head coach for British and Scottish Curling.

EXPERIENCE: Rhona Martin, who skipped Great Britain to Olympic gold in 2002, has been appointed as the new coach for British and Scottish Curling (Getty Images)

Despite disappointing results at the Winter Olympics - where the men's team, who arrived in Canada as reigning world champions, just missed out on the semi-finals and the women's rink placed a disappointing seventh - curling saw its Sochi 2014 funding recently boosted by UK Sport.

Martin will be part of a new-look five-strong elite coaching team and will work closely with youthful Scottish skip Eve Muirhead, 20.

Muirhead, the three-time world junior champion, underlined her talent by guiding her Scottish team-mates to silver at this year's World Championships and recently repeated that feat at the European Championships in Switzerland.

"I am very proud to be taking on the challenge of head coach for women's curling," said Martin, who has previously worked with Muirhead at junior level.

"Working within a world class coaching set-up and with the support of British Curling, The Royal Club, sportscotland and UK Sport, I look forward to giving Britain's most talented female curlers all the support they require to deliver success over the next four years at Olympic, World and European level."

Soren Gran, who guided Sweden to the semi-finals of the Vancouver Olympics, at the expense of Britain's David Murdoch, has been appointed as men's head coach with Dave Crosbee appointed as performance director.