Olympic silver medallist Murdoch announces retirement

Murdoch, a veteran of three Olympic Winter Games, skipped his rink to second place on the podium at Sochi 2014, but missed out on selection for next year's Games in PyeongChang.

As well as his Olympic medal, the 39-year-old Scot retires with seven national, three European and two World titles to his name, and will now embark on the next chapter of his career coaching the next generation of curlers.

And while he admits disappointment to not be making his fourth Olympic appearance, he insists he is more than ready for the new challenges that lie ahead.

"After the announcement regarding PyeongChang I had to think about what would come next. I had always wanted to pursue my coaching and management ambitions and now I feel ready for that," said Murdoch.

"Given my involvement with World Curling Federation (WCF), the non-athlete side of curling has become much more appealing. I have had to re-adjust, as my goal was to get to the next Olympics and I really had to decide if it was the end or not.

"To be honest I am not sure if things had been different if I would have known when the right time was to stop.

"It would have been hard to walk away but I have been thinking about alternative options for some time and you have to eventually make the decision to start getting those plans underway.

"It was a tough decision but at the same time I am incredibly grateful for what I have achieved in the sport, the opportunities it has given me and the titles I have won."

Graeme Thompson, British Curling performance director, said: "David has had a tremendous career with his successes spanning several decades and includes all the major honours possible.

"I am delighted that he will continue to inspire the curlers coming through the programme.

"I have enjoyed working closely with David as a player and am very pleased to continue that as a colleague.

"His expertise and knowledge contributing into our staff structure will be very valuable and overall he will be playing a vital part in developing the future of the game."

Sportsbeat 2017