Britain’s curling captain Bruce Mouat displays unwavering focus as he leads Team GB into the men’s curling final at the Winter Olympics in Cortina. The 31-year-old openly gay athlete eyes gold against Canada on Saturday at 6:05 p.m.
Early Start in Scotland’s Iconic Sport
Born in Edinburgh, Mouat discovered curling at age seven when his father, Bob, spotted a newspaper ad for Gogar Park Curling Club. This quirky Scottish sport, born on frozen lochs in the 16th century, revealed his natural talent early on.
Breakthrough Moment: Coming Out
Mouat long sensed his sexuality hindered his performance. In 2014, he confided in a sports psychologist—the first person he told. This liberation transformed his career. “I left school still in the closet and was struggling to feel totally comfortable within my sport,” Mouat shared for Team GB’s 2023 Pride Month. “Curling is a team sport and you have to be comfortable with who you’re playing with, but I didn’t feel that within myself.”
Post-coming out, he secured two Scottish junior championships, plus bronze and gold with the junior national team. As a senior, Mouat claimed world titles in 2023 and 2025, plus silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Romance Ignited by a Curling Pun
In 2021, Mouat connected with fitness coach Craig Kyle on Tinder. Kyle’s opener—a playful “how do I break the ice?”—sealed the deal. “I knew from that point that he was pretty goofy and probably a bit of me,” Mouat recounted.
A former rugby fan, Kyle embraced curling, joining three clubs in Stirling, where the couple lives. He caught the passion watching Mouat’s Beijing silver run. “I watched all of his games religiously and got hooked,” Kyle posted on Instagram before these Olympics. “The tension, the excitement, the millimetre precision.”
Kyle even tried the sport, playing Edinburgh pairs with Mouat—and winning a match. After Mouat’s 2023 world championship victory, the first for an openly gay curler, Kyle dashed onto the ice for a celebratory hug. “He gave me the biggest fright of my life,” Mouat laughed, noting the valuable trophy in hand. “Having Craig there… really was one of the best.”
Path to the Gold Medal Final
Mouat, with teammates Bobby Lammie, Grant Hardie, and Hammy McMillan, advanced after defeating unbeaten Switzerland in a thrilling Thursday semifinal. Visibly emotional, Mouat marveled, “Oh my god, what’s happened? Crazy. So much fun playing in that atmosphere again.”
He thanked supporters: “I’ll always continue to say thank you to everyone back home… All those things really add up to what we are now going to hopefully achieve, and win our gold medal.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Mouat aims to motivate other gay athletes. “There’s not many out gay men in sport, especially in Great Britain,” he noted. “I think there’s a sense that I am maybe now a role model.” Inducted into the Scottish LGBT+ Hall of Fame in 2023, he lauds curling’s inclusivity: “Curling has always been a very inclusive sport… Hopefully other people who are part of the LGBT+ community can see that and maybe want to come and try the sport.”
