Claire Hamilton | |
Birth Date: | 31 January 1989 |
Birth Place: | Lockerbie, Scotland[1] |
Curling Club: | Applegarth & Sibbaldie CC, Lockerbie, SCO |
World Championship Appearances: | 3 |
European Championship Appearances: | 3 |
Olympic Appearances: | 1 (2014) |
Grand Slam Victories: | 2: Autumn Gold (2013), Players' Championship (2013) |
Claire Hamilton (born 31 January 1989) is a Scottish curler. She formerly played lead for the rink skipped by Eve Muirhead. Representing Scotland, they were the 2013 World Champions and representing Team GB, they were the 2014 Olympic bronze medallists.
Hamilton was born in Lockerbie, Scotland and was educated at Lockerbie Academy and the University of Strathclyde, where she studied pharmacy. She was a member of the Anna Sloan rink that won a gold medal for Great Britain at the 2011 Winter Universiade,[2] playing as the team's alternate. In March 2011, she played third for Sloan at the 2011 World Championships, along with Vicki Adams, Rhiann MacLeod and Eve Muirhead as alternate. They finished 9th.
Sloan joined forces with Muirhead after that season, with Hamilton becoming the team's lead and Adams playing in second position. They had quick success, winning the gold medal at the 2011 European Curling Championships in Moscow. However, they were not as successful at the 2012 World Championships, placing 6th.
Team Muirhead won gold medals at the 2013 World Curling Championships in Riga, Latvia, with Lauren Gray as alternate. Representing Great Britain, they won a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.[3]
In May 2014 Hamilton announced that she was leaving Eve Muirhead's rink.[4] Shortly afterwards she took up cycling, and took a silver medal in the individual pursuit at the Scottish National Track Championships in October 2014.[5]