Athlete Bios
Curling
Canada's Martin aims to complete medal collection
Last Updated: Friday, February 5, 2010 | 4:20 PM ET
New York Times by CBC Sports
Skip Kevin Martin, right, laughs next to lead Ben Hebert, left, during the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling trials on Dec. 13, 2009. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)At 43, Canadian skip Kevin Martin wants the one thing that has eluded him in his long curling career - an Olympic gold medal.
Eight years after skipping Canada to a silver behind Norway in Salt Lake City, Martin qualified for his third Olympics by beating a long-time rival, the Glenn Howard rink, 7-3 in the championship match of the Tim Hortons Brier, before a hometown crowd in Edmonton on Dec. 13. The Brier served as Canada's Olympic trials.
"You work so hard for three and a half years and in a one-game situation against a team we've played so often in big games - man, there's a lot of emotion that comes out when you win that game," Martin Told the Canadian Press after the match.
Having won nearly $2 million on the World Curling Tour, Martin - the 2008 world champion - has been known for remarkable shot-making over two decades as one of Canada's top curlers. Nicknamed the Old Bear, Martin made his first Olympic appearance in 1992, finishing fourth in Albertville, France, when curling was still a demonstration sport.
Martin's return to the Olympics comes more than three years after he jettisoned his 2002 Olympic teammates Don Bartlett, Carter Rycroft and Don Walchuk from his team. That unit played poorly in the 2005-06 season, failing to win a single Grand Slam event and flaming out at the Olympic trials. Martin decided to recruit youth - Mark Kennedy, Ben Hebert and the world junior champion skip John Morris, all then in their 20s.
The combination clicked. Team Martin won three Grand Slam titles in 2006-07 and two more in 2007-08, along with Martin's first world championship. Martin's international record to that point had been disappointing, especially in medal rounds; this marked his first international gold medal.
Still, Martin faltered at the 2009 worlds. After winning 10 consecutive round-robin games, he lost three times to Scotland, the last in the championship match. Team Martin came back strong in the Brier, beating the Howard rink in round-robin play and again in the final to secure the Olympic berth.
Born in Killam, Alta., Martin won a Canadian junior title in 1985 and took a silver at the world juniors in 1986. A 10-time provincial champion with various teammates, Martin is also a four-time winner of the Brier.
Martin and Wayne Middaugh are the only skips to win each event of the Canadian Grand Slam over the course of their careers - the Canadian Open (four times), the National (three), the Players' Championship (twice) and the Masters/World Cup. Martin's home club is the Saville Sports Centre in Edmonton.
