Having established herself as one of the outstanding success stories of the British Curling programme, Olympic Champion Vicky Wright has announced her decision to retire from full-time curling.
The 28-year-old from Stranraer steps away from curling after an extraordinary season that saw her play as vice skip to Eve Muirhead as the four-time Olympian led Wright, World Mixed Doubles Champion Jen Dodds, Hailey Duff and alternate Mili Smith to that career-crowning triumph in Beijing. 
Earlier in the season they had already made history when, along with Bruce Mouat’s men, they became the first curlers to win the European Championships for Scotland in both the women’s and men’s game for the first time ever.
The women’s success was all the more remarkable because of the challenges that faced them coming into the 2021/22 season.
Wright had been part of the Scotland team that missed out on earning Team GB a place at this year’s Olympics when they failed to claim a top six place at last season’s World Championships.
That consequently forced a major re-think within British Curling, leading to the innovative creation of a nine-player squad system at the beginning of this season.
Wright, who had previously won two Scottish Championship titles, but none on the international stage, was one of those who emerged from that career-transforming opportunity to claim a place in what would become the Olympic team. 
She had, however, previously been lauded on a personal level after British Curling revealed that following the COVID-enforced cancellation of the 2020 World Championships, where she had been part of the Scotland team that was already in Canada preparing to take part, Wright had immediately returned to her other career as an NHS nurse to take her place on the front-line at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.
In making her decision to leave the elite game while at the very top, her devotion to nursing was a key factor.
“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,” she explained.
“My journey to this point has not been without challenges, mainly balancing the demands of training full time with working a few shifts per week in a highly pressured hospital environment.
“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.”
On behalf of British Curling, Executive Performance Director Nigel Holl paid tribute to the extraordinary effort Wright had made to juggle her careers.
“The level of commitment required of modern curlers who aspire to achieve on the global stage now requires full-time commitment, so for Vicky to maintain that as she has, while still working as an NHS Staff Nurse has been a truly exceptional achievement,” he said.
“All the more so because of the turn-around that was required this season for our women to embark on what has been the greatest season in the history of British and Scottish curling, bringing home European, World and Olympic titles. 
“We are extremely proud of and grateful to all of them for bringing us that success and we wish Vicky every success and happiness as she moves on to the next stage of her life.”
Vicky’s fiancée Greg Drummond remains an integral member of the British Curling set-up as performance team coach as well as working in the mixed doubles discipline that has seen two different partnerships win the World Championships for Scotland in each of the past two seasons.
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Images: Team GB / David Pearce & WCF / Celine Stucki
