Olympic champion Vicky Wright retires from curling

The full-time NHS nurse was part of the team that won women’s gold in Beijing earlier this year

Vicky Wright starred in Great Britain’s Olympic curling triumph in Beijing (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Olympic curling champion Vicky Wright has announced her retirement from the sport just over two months after clinching a historic gold medal in Beijing.

The 28-year-old was part of a squad also including Eve Muirhead, Jennifer Dodds, Hailey Duff and alternate Mili Smith who triumphed in the Chinese capital.

A qualified nurse, Wright had fitted her Olympic preparations around her work on the NHS frontline at the Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert.

Wright said: “On the back of what can only be described as the most incredible experience winning Olympic gold in Beijing, it is with much pride I announce my retirement from full-time curling to fully invest my time into my nursing career and family life.

“Having a strong perspective on life is something I pride myself on and I am incredibly proud of how I achieved my curling goals, particularly in this last year when I kept up my shift work as an NHS staff nurse during a global pandemic.

“To turn up at training in the final few months of preparation for the Games on the back of a night shift was a privilege, not a chore.”