Grant Hardie has left Team Mouat after nine hugely-successful years, opting to skip his own rink in pursuit of a new challenge. The 34-year-old, who won two Olympic silvers, two World Championships and a record 12 Grand Slam titles with Bruce Mouat, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan, announced the split on Monday.
Hardie had been expected to retire from curling to pursue engineering, but instead will lead Team Hardie, comprising world bronze medallists Ross Whyte and Euan Kyle, plus Craig Waddell. Robin Brydone, who won world bronze in April, replaces Hardie as third in Team Mouat.
“It was a really difficult decision,” Hardie told BBC Sport Scotland. “But I felt, if I was going to carry on, I needed something different, a challenge to get my teeth into and keep me motivated. Playing third to Bruce for the last nine years has been amazing, but skipping is always something that's been a goal of mine.”
The split was marked by emotional conversations among the quartet, with McMillan joking he had already secured family support. Hardie admitted there were tears, adding: “We had so much success together and so many great memories, so it's hard to walk away from that.”
Mouat said the change brings “new energy” and “fresh ideas”, while Lammie noted Brydone is “one of the best thirds in curling”. Hardie’s new rink aims to become Scotland’s top team and represent Great Britain at the 2030 Olympics.
