They were the original “golden girls”, the curling champions who swept the way for Eve Muirhead and her team to lift Olympic gold in Beijing at the weekend.
Now the story of how Rhona Martin and her all-Scots squad made sporting history 20 years ago this month is told in a new BBC Scotland documentary to be shown tonight.
The Last Stone charts the curlers’ progress to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where they became the first British women’s team to win gold in any Olympic event, and the first Winter Olympic gold medallists since ice dancers Torvill and Dean in 1984.
To reach the final Team Martin had to beat the best in the world, and the perception that curling was just “housewives with brooms”.
In doing so, says broadcaster Dougie Donnelly, who accompanied the team to America, they played a large part in forging the idea that women could be top class athletes.
Among those at home in Scotland and watching events in Utah that night was 11-year-old Eve Muirhead.
“Rhona and her team’s success did a lot for women in curling,” the skip of the British Olympic team tells filmmaker Louise Lockwood. “It definitely was a big inspiration for me.”
READ MORE: GB beat Japan in final
In the early years, Martin and the rest of the team – Debbie Knox, Fiona MacDonald, Janice Rankin, and substitute Margaret Morton – travelled to training in Perth from their homes in Dunlop, Lochgelly, Elgin and Inverness. Meanwhile, the Scottish Institute for Sport came aboard with funding and coaching help.
Defeat at the European Championships in Finland ensured that the team arrived in Salt Lake City as underdogs. All eyes instead were on the men’s squad, who were favourites for a medal. “We were quite happy to fly under the radar,” says Martin.
The curling was held in the city of Ogden, some distance from the main events. A small band of supporters, including MacDonald’s father, was there to cheer the women on. “He was the madman with the kilt and the British and Scottish flag,” she says.
In the round-robin, Team GB lost to Canada, described by Donnelly as curling’s equivalent to Brazil in football and the All Blacks in rugby. Other defeats followed and it looked like the Scots were on their home early.
As it turned out, they had one last chance to get back into the tournament and seized it. Victory in the semi-final against Canada saw Martin and her team lining up against Switzerland in the final.
At this point, the UK and world media had caught up with the story. BBC1 decided to carry the final live on BBC2 before switching to BBC1. Almost six million viewers watched a tense match where it fell to Martin to throw the last stone for victory. “The stone for glory,” whispered Donnelly.
The rest was tears, cheers, and a mass welcome home at Glasgow Airport. The team were awarded MBEs, and Martin appeared on Ally McCoist’s team on Question of Sport.
“It went a bit crazy,” says MacDonald, “but it was good”.
They were hugely popular, says Donnelly. “I think people recognised in the nicest possible way they were just ordinary but extraordinary women.”
Debbie Knox’s twin daughters were only young at the time, but now 24 they call her their “shero”.
READ MORE: Queen sends her congratulations
For Martin, now a coach and mentor to players, it had been a try, try, and try again experience.
“I lost so many Scottish finals, so many bronze medal matches over the years. But if I hadn’t done that I probably would not have won at the Olympics because you learn from these losses. It doesn’t matter what you want to do. Don't give up because you can get there.”
The Last Stone, BBC Scotland, 10pm tonight; 8pm tomorrow; and on iPlayer
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