McCreadie hoping pressure will take its toll on favourites Canada

March 6 - Britain's Michael McCreadie (pictured) has admitted that they will be the underdogs for the gold medal in the wheelchair curling at the Paralympics, which open in Vancouver next week.

The Scot was part of the team that won the silver medals in Turin four years ago but thinks it will be hard to overcome the hosts Canada on their home rink.

He said: "I would think they would be heavy favourites, they're current world champions."

But McCreadie, who turns 64 on March 16 during the Games, is not ruling out the pressure getting to the Canadians and allowing his team of Aileen Neilson, Tom Killin, Angie Malone and Jim Sellar sneaking in for the gold medal.

He said: "I just keep telling people 'they're fantastic' and make sure the Canadians hear it.

"They might just blow a gasket - it can happen in sport.

"There's plenty of evidence that underdogs do win: people didn't think Muhammad Ali would do well in Zaire [when he beat George Foreman in 1974], did they?

"Celtic winning the European Cup for the first time in 1967, the first British team."

Vancouver will, remarkably, be McCreadie's seventh appearance in the Paralympics.

This will be his second Winter Paralympics and he has also taken part in five Summer Games - two as a coach - since making his debut at Heidelberg in 1972, having competed in bowls and wheelchair basketball.

McCreadie said: "It's good not to be favourites; we were favourites in Turin.

"The standard has risen tremendously in the last four years, teams have definitely got better.

"We've had eight different international tournaments since September - not all the countries went to them all of course - but we had eight different winners.

"There's 10 countries going to be taking part in the Paralympics and it looks like it's going to be pretty open.

"A semi-final spot is our first goal and then of course anything can happen.

"If we play to our best in every single game, I know we'll be there or thereabouts.

"That [gold] would be one of the greatest achievements of my career and maybe a good time to say bye-bye."


Related stories
February 2010: Sellar hoping it will be gold and quit in Vancouver
January 2010: McCreadie chosen as British skip for wheelchair curling team in Vancouver
December 2009: Michael McCreadie is hoping to again defy the odds at the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver