By Ian Rodgers, PA Sport

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Royal Caledonia Curling Club president-elect Donald Whyte believes the sport can only progress after the success of the women's Winter Olympic team.

Rhona Martin and her team won the gold medal for the all-Scottish team with the last stone of the Olympic final against Switzerland in Salt Lake City.

The success of Martin's team in Utah has given the sport a real profile boost.

Now Whyte, who will succeed Andrew Hepburn as president of the ruling body in May, is determined to seize the initiative on the back of Olympic gold.

"It is a real boost to be coming in as president on the back of this," said Whyte.

"Everything and everyone is on a real high after the Olympic success, so it is not as if we have to drag ourselves up.

"We are already there and we need to keep the pot boiling and try to encourage everyone else to look forward."

Whyte, who runs his own plumbing business in Dunfermline, insists the support the sport has received from a variety of sponsors has already aided the game.

But he is aiming to make further in-roads into the public psyche after Britain's first ever Olympic gold medal in the sport.

"This is a very exciting time for the sport - there is no question of that," said Whyte.

"We have really got to put in an awful lot of hard work now and carry on from this tremendous advert for the game.

"We get enormous support from sportscotland and the Institute of Sport which has provided tremendous back-up to the Olympic team and across the board.

"The Bank of Scotland has also provided wonderful support for young curlers and we are now trying to place 10 development officers across Scotland - we already have seven.

"The Olympic success, however, now gives us something to work on and get their teeth into.

"Knowing the girls in the team, they will be delighted to provide help in development by going out to meet youngsters.

"Obviously, we are grateful to the help we have received financially, but the more you get, the more you can do - it does not matter which sport it is."

Prime Minister Tony Blair admitted he was living in the shadow of the successful Olympians as he visited a biotechnology research centre in Dundee.

"I'm well aware that the interest in Scotland today is not about my visit, but the absolutely astonishing performance of the curling team," said Blair.

"It was wonderful, exciting, thrilling and a brilliant performance and well done to all the Scots who made up the British team.

"Not just the whole of Scotland, but the whole of Britain is really proud of them."

MacDonald said: "My husband was crying and said it was 'unbelieveable'.

"It will take a long time to sink in but we always knew that we were capable of winning."