NHS FORTH VALLEY staff were cheering on at the weekend as one of their own realised her Olympic dream in Beijing.

Vicky Wright, a general surgical nurse at the Larbert hospital's B11 ward, won gold as part of Team GB women's curling team.

She had reduced her hours after working on the front lines in the fight against Covid-19 to focus on the Winter Games, going all the way to glory on Sunday.

Playing third on Team Eve Muirhead, Vicky helped crush Japan 10-3 in the final to secure Great Britain's only gold.

With silverware collected on her debut Olympic appearance, Vicky told the BBC: “It doesn't feel real.

“We have all had amazing support, we cannot thank our friends and family enough for everything they have done, everyone who has been behind us to make this dream become real."

Indeed, the 28-year-old's colleagues at Forth Valley Royal Hospital's Ward B11, which was turned into a Covid ward during the pandemic surge, have been following every sweep of the broom since she flew out for four weeks of intensive preparations.

Kay Russell, fellow staff nurse at Ward B11, said: “Everyone in the ward was rooting for Vicky and the team.

“Staff on night duty managed to watch snippets of the match during their breaks and those who weren't on duty got together online to watch the match together and cheer her on."

The team, also including skip Eve Muirhead as well as second Jen Dodds and lead Hailey Duff, entered Beijing 2022 off the back of a successful run at the European Championships in November last year and Vicky said being selected was a “dream come true”.

Curling since the age of 11, Vicky adds the Olympic gold to a gold from the 2021 European Curling Championship in Lillehammer and a sliver from the 2019 championship in Helsingborg.

She also has silver from the 2013 Sochi World Junior Curling Championships.

Before jetting off to China, Vicky said she hopes to return to full time nursing soon.

Cathie Cowan, chief executive at NHS Forth Valley, added: “Vicky is not only an incredible sportswoman but also a very caring and dedicated nurse.

“We are so proud of everything which she and the GB women's curling team has achieved, and we can't wait to welcome her back to Forth Valley Royal Hospital when she returns from Beijing."