04/10/2026
DRUMMOND COMPLETES COMEBACK WITH FIRST NATIONAL MIXED DOUBLES WIN
Olympic gold medallist Vicky Drummond and Grand Slam winning partner Euan Kyle have sailed to victory at the Ambassador Cruise Line Scottish Mixed Doubles Championship with an unbeaten record at Curl Aberdeen.
The newly-formed partnership looked to have a challenging route to negotiate as Drummond made her competitive comeback, four years after quitting the sport after being part of the winning women’s quartet at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2022, but navigated it serenely.
Playing six pool matches, then a semi-final, they did not have to play the scheduled eight ends in a single match ahead of their comprehensive 8-1 victory over defending champion Katie McMillan and her new partner Archie Hyslop in a final that was over in five ends and Drummond reckoned that was largely down to chemistry fuelled by positive energy.
“It really doesn’t feel like I have been away for that long and once I got into the flow of things, with the practice and the games it literally was like riding a bike,” she said.
“I did have a nervous tummy and if I didn’t have that I knew it would be the time to hang up the shoes again, but the butterflies are back and the excitement is there and the enjoyment is there, so I am really proud of what we have achieved this week. It’s been pretty, pretty special.
“The new partnership with Euan has been really great, really good fun from the off.
“We are both very social characters and in the team game we both are the ones bringing the energy so we knew team dynamics were never going to be an issue for us.
“It was just how we would work through getting to the right decisions and how to get the best out of each other and to be honest it has been super easy.
“We have got a process about how we talk about ice, stones, how we want to make shots and we are really in sync with one another.”
Both have also become parents in recent years and after playing in front of her for the first time, Drummond explained that the presence of her daughter Sophie and Kyle’s son Noah had helped their mindsets.
“During the competition we were focused on having a relaxed intensity being switched on when we needed to be switched on and also to take a moment to sit back and appreciate what was going on,” she said.
“We were very lucky that we had our little ones behind the glass at points and that was really fun just watching through the glass running about through there.”
While Kyle’s status in the sport has been transformed since Drummond last competed, as a member of a men’s team that has claimed victories on the Canadian Grand Slam circuit in steadily climbing the rankings, he has also had a fresh start this season, playing under a new skip in the men’s game under Grant Hardie, as well as forming this new partnership with Drummond.
“I have known Vicky for a long time, so when I got the call this summer from an Olympic gold medallist to ask if I wanted to partner her in mixed doubles I was really chuffed,” he said.
“I would have been mad to turn down an opportunity like that and from the start we just clicked and played so well together in training, so to then go through a Scottish Champs undefeated and to dominate in a field that had so many good players that included Eve (Muirhead) and Bobby (Lammie) coming back, I am over the moon with that.
“We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better start.”
He noted that in looking to get the tone right, the pair even competed between themselves in the pre-match draw shot challenges as they looked to ensure that they were on top of their games from the outset.
“We had a bet between us to have the best draw shot over the week to just help give us more focus,” Kyle revealed.
“It was really close and I think there was only about 30 centimetres in it, but I think I now have a bottle of rose w**e with my name on it!
“It kept things light hearted but competitive between us and we knew that we both would go out and start sharp.”
Kyle is, however, acutely aware of the serious competitive opportunities that are opening up for him in a season that has already seen his new men’s line up claim a win in Canada, at last month’s prestigious Shorty Jenkins Classic.
“The Olympic cycle has started so it is now a four year project and looking to the next Olympics it feels like a lot can happen between now and then but it is nice to now have that dual focus,” he said.
“Bruce (Mouat) has been able to combine two disciplines in the last two Games and I would love to do that.
“It is a long way off but this has been a great start to the cycle, so hopefully Vicky and I will get the call up to the World Champs, because we have also been consistent in the NCA mixed doubles league as well so we are in a good position and hopefully we have done enough.”
