Hardie’s Fifth Gold Leads Scotland to European Title
Grant Hardie won a record-equalling fifth European Curling Championship gold as Scotland beat Italy 6-5 in the final in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The Scottish rink settled a tight contest with the decisive score in the eighth end, giving Hardie a title to match the Scottish record.
Scotland wins a final decided late
Italy had beaten Scotland in the group stage, handing Hardie’s team its only loss of the competition. In the final, the sides traded scores through the first seven ends. Scotland’s steal of two points in the fourth gave them a crucial opening, but the match remained close until the final end.
Scotland then secured the winning score in the eighth to finish 6-5. Ross Whyte threw the fourth stones for the Scottish team, while Italy’s rink was led by Stefano Spiller.
A fifth European gold for Hardie
The title is Hardie’s fifth European gold. He previously won the championship four times as part of Team Mouat, and this time led a new Scottish rink to victory. Across seven appearances at the event, he has now collected seven medals.
Hardie’s five golds put him level with Mike Hay and his uncle, Hammy McMillan Sr, among Scottish curlers with the same number of European titles. The final win also answered Scotland’s group-stage defeat by Italy on the day that mattered most.
“I’m buzzing,” Hardie said. He added that winning the final with a strong performance made the week’s progress especially satisfying.
Scotland’s women miss the bronze
The result was different for Scotland’s women’s rink. Fay Henderson’s team lost the bronze-medal match 8-6 to Latvia, which earned its first major medal.
The teams were level after the opening two ends before Latvia built a four-point advantage. Scotland cut the gap by scoring three in the fourth, but Latvia restored a four-point lead across the fifth and sixth ends. Scotland scored two in the seventh, the last end, but could not catch up.
What the result leaves open
Hardie’s fifth gold settles the men’s final and draws him level with Hay and McMillan Sr. The championship also ends with a first major medal for Latvia, while Scotland’s women leave without the bronze.
The final scorelines are clear; what comes next for either Scottish rink is not established by these results. Their next competitions and selections remain to be announced.
Sources
- sports.yahoo.com — “Scotland, Sweden Capture New-Look European Curling Titles – Yahoo Sports”
- BBC — “European Curling Championships 2026: Scotland sweep aside Danes in opener – BBC Sport”
- tsn.ca — “Curling – Scotties, Brier, Scores & Analysis – TSN”
