2017 World Women's Curling Championship: Team Muirhead eye Winter Olympic spot

Eve Muirhead and her Scotland rink have one eye on the 2018 Winter Olympics during this year's World Women's Curling Championship in Beijing.

A solid performance in China from 18-26 March will secure a place for a British women's curling team at Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.

"Qualifying Great Britain for the Olympic spot is one of our main goals," Muirhead told BBC Scotland.

"The space is pretty open but we need to finish off well to secure the spot."

Ten nations will be represented in women's curling at the Winter Olympics, and having finished fifth at the 2016 World Championship, Scotland are well on their way to ensuring Team GB's place is sealed.

Team Muirhead is made up of skip Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams, Lauren Gray and alternate Kelly Schafer. All except Schafer were involved when Great Britain's women won curling bronze at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Muirhead previously led Scotland to World Championship gold in 2013

"I'm very competitive and I'll never give up until I know I can't do well and can't win," said Muirhead

"I guess there are a few stones unturned and one of them being getting further up the podium at the Olympic Games. Having come away with the bronze medal, you always want to do slightly better and strive for more.

"I've got lots of goals and I know it's the same with the rest of the girls and that's what makes it a great team, knowing we're all striving for the same."

Their 2017 World Championship campaign begins against the USA in the round-robin stage at 05:00 GMT on Saturday.

"We want to take each part of the championship at a time," said Muirhead, whose rink won bronze at the 2016 European Curling Championship in Glasgow.

"First of all, we've got the round robin which we want to finish strong in and get a top-four spot. From then it's a different competition. Play-offs are always different - you've got to step up your game when it comes to them.

Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams, Lauren Gray and Muirhead will have 11 round-robin matches in China

"Switzerland have dominated, Canada are always tough, the Russians are tough - every game's going to be tough. We've got to be on top form out there.

"We've got lots of targets when we go out there. And yes, we want to go in there and hit the podium - we know we've got the potential to do that."

Muirhead led Scotland to World Championship gold in 2013 but Switzerland have triumphed in each of the three years since, while Russia are the current European champions.

"We know that if we bring our solid game and be consistent over the week, then we'll be there or thereabouts at the end," Sloan added.

"Switzerland and Russia are the ones that have medalled recently but the field is massive this year with a really high calibre, so we just need to concentrate on ourselves and do what we can do.

"We're always trying to strive for that perfection. So it does always mean tweaking things, but we know each other so well and we're comfortable in the environment, which is really important out there."