Rhona Martin

Rhona Martin ( born October 12, 1966 in Ayr as Rhona Howie ) is a Scottish curler who has participated in several European and World Championships. Her biggest success is the Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City ( at the Olympic Games the Scottish national team starts each for Great Britain).

After she repeatedly failed to win the Scottish championship, she qualified in 1998 for the first time for an international championship. At the European Championships 1998 in Flims ( Switzerland ), she won the silver medal in the position of the skip. After a major conversion of the team, she participated in the European Championships in 1999 in Chamonix, missed the medals but scarce.

In 2000, she won the Scottish Cup and so was given the opportunity to participate in the World Cup at home in Glasgow. A highlight was the victory in first round ( round-robin ) against Canada with Skip Kelley Law. However, the Canadians got their revenge in the semifinals and defeated the Scots with 10:6. Also the bronze medal match was lost ( 10:5 against Norway with Skip Dordi Nordby ).

The good finishes at the European and World Championships submitted for eligibility for participation in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Although slightly weakened by disease, the Scots were able to choose five of the first seven games in the round-robin for themselves. After surprising defeats against the USA and Germany, the semi-finals seemed a distant memory. Martin and her team-mates had hoped for a victory by Switzerland to Germany to still have a shot at the tie -breaks, which finally arrived.

In the tie-break games, the Scots beat the first world champions from Sweden and then Germany also. In the semi-final they defeated the favored Canadians with Skip Kelley Law and moved to the final. With the victory against Switzerland with skip Luzia Ebnöther brought Rhona Martin and her team-mates Deborah Knox, Fiona MacDonald and Janice Rankin, the UK's first gold medal since 1984.

The emerging Jackie Lockhart, Rhona Martin struck at the Scottish Championships a few days after the Olympic victory and won in the same year the World Champion title. In 2005, Martin an "All Star Team", with Lockhart at the second position. At the European Championships in Garmisch -Partenkirchen, the Scots reached the rather disappointing fifth place. When curling tournament of the 2006 Winter Olympics, Martin also participated, but the Scottish team did not make the semi-finals.