This January, at the FISU Winter World University Games in Torino, Robyn Munro added a Gold Medal in the Mixed Doubles Curling Event to her ever-increasing list of accolades. I had the chance to interview Robyn, asking about her family’s long history with curling, the University Games, and what being selected as the flagbearer for Team GB meant to her.
As we sat down to speak, I congratulated Robyn on her win. She appeared modest and humble. Rather than taking credit and basking in the glory of a historic achievement, she made sure to point out how grateful she was to have had the opportunity to participate.
Robyn’s family has strong ties to the history of Scottish Curling; her grandparents, after hearing that people were travelling to Ayr to curl, built the first hotel in the world to have an ice rink in it. For her entire life, Robyn has been surrounded by success. Her uncle, Hammy McMillan won the 1999 World Championships, her cousins Hammy McMillan Jr and Grant Hardie won the 2023 World Championships and her mum, Gail Munro (who was recently awarded an MBE for services to curling on the King’s New Year Honours List), has a European silver medal and Scottish Championship win to her name.
When asked about her family’s influence on choosing to take up curling, Robyn noted: “I never felt any pressure [to curl] but due to my cousin’s success I could see the rewards that were possibly ahead of me. However, I have to focus on my journey rather than trying to live up to what my family have achieved.” Since she was a young girl, her life has been consumed by curling: “If I try to remember a time when I didn’t curl, I can’t”
Robyn has a history with the Winter World University Games, finishing fourth in the women’s event at Lake Placid, New York in 2023. She cites her semi-final loss against Korea as motivation for future competitions, where she won the World Juniors Championship the following month.
However, this year’s University Games were changed by the introduction of the Mixed Doubles Event. Robyn was paired with Orrin Carson, a 2-time Scottish Junior Champion. Before the event, Robyn played with Orrin in the Scottish Championship, allowing them to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses: “Orrin and I are very similar, we’re both optimistic and don’t take things too seriously.” She also joked that she had stern words with Orrin, warning him to “come and stand beside her if he misses a shot.”
Team GB won six of their seven round-robin ties. However, indicative of her character, the match most notable to Robyn was the 10-4 loss to Germany: “You learn more when you lose, the loss kept us grounded and motivated throughout the rest of the competition.”
That fixture was repeated in the final with Great Britain enacting their revenge on the Germans with a 10-8 win, after an incredible final shot which knocked both of Germany’s stones out of contention and sealed Britain’s victory. Robyn shook hands with the German players before releasing a quiet roar and embracing with Orrin. This is emblematic of Robyn’s sportsmanship, which she exhibited throughout the tournament.
Robyn was not the only one celebrating, as her boyfriend, Lukas Høstmælingen, clinched gold for Norway in the men’s curling. This has led to many of her friends dubbing them the “power couple of curling.” Robyn revealed how important it was to her to have a partner who understood the challenges of high-level sport: “When I need to chat about curling, he’s there for me and understands the level of commitment the sport requires. However, when I play a bad shot, he’s quick to tell me.”
The victory was extra special for Robyn as her family came to support her: “My mum can’t usually come to watch me play as her role as ice rink manager coincides with my season, and it was amazing to have my granny support me because without her I probably wouldn’t curl.”
Robyn was selected as the flagbearer for Team GB for the opening ceremony, she had “secretly always wanted to have that honour.” Robyn added: “I was super chuffed as there was a huge squad of us there, so to lead them out was something I’ll never forget.”
Throughout her time at Strathclyde, Robyn has had to effectively manage her time between curling and coursework: “I’m not going to lie it’s not easy, especially because university took a backseat to curling from first to third year.” Robyn expressed gratitude to the staff at British Curling and the Performance Lifestyle Practitioner that she has through her Strathclyde Sports Scholarship, as they’ve helped her through her fourth year. Robyn quipped that this is the year when the hard work begins and “uni starts university-ing.”
If you are interested in following Robyn, she regularly posts the places curling takes her to her travel diary at @whererobyngoes on Instagram and YouTube.
Hi I’m Nathan, the News Editor. I’m a journalism and politics fourth-year student at Strathclyde. I enjoy all things sport and I’m passionate about politics.
IG-nathanl2003
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