Olympics-Curling-Why curlers need to be in great shape to compete at top level

Olympics-Curling-Why curlers need to be in great shape to compete at top level

By Aadi Nair CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 14 (Reuters) – As Olympic skiers hurtle down slopes at frightening speeds, and snowboarders and ski jumpers soar through the skies, curlers are renowned more for their cerebral strategy. The physical demands of the sport, however, are real. “The strain is massive,” Glenn Howard, one of Canada’s most ​decorated curlers and a four-times world champion, told Reuters. “The position you get into on a curling…

Why curlers need to be in great shape to compete at top level

Curling may be known for strategy, but today’s elite athletes train like any other Olympic competitor. From intense sweeping demands to the Brad Jacobs-led fitness revolution, players explain how conditioning has transformed the sport at the Olympic Winter Games.