OCCASIONALLY, sport produces a priceless, nerve-tingling moment: Hurst's hat-trick; Botham's Ashes; Ali's "rope dope" flooring of George Foreman; Red Rum's epic third Grand National victory; Torvill and Dean's joyful Bolero.

Who could have imagined that mum-of-two Rhona Barker, her four team-mates, and the curious sport of curling, could produce a gem for us to treasure in our memories?

With five and a half million people watching, and with the minutes ticking towards midnight, in Salt Lake City, Rhona was a stone's throw from the land of legends.

With ice cool nerves, she found perfection and Great Britain had its first Winter Olympics Gold since Torvill and Dean's own flawless fairytale of 18 years ago.

You know an achievement is special when politicians queue up to pay tribute and companies fall over themselves to grab some reflected glory.

Step in Safeway. The supermarket chain is hoping to clinch a deal with the golden girls to promote a floor cleaner - a slick move if ever there was one.

''Safeway feel the girls could teach us a thing or two about scrubbing,'' said a supermarket spokesman somewhat disrespectfully, but full marks for enterprise.

Whether we will now see curling lanes provided at ice rinks around the country, and whether sales of Safeway's floor cleaner will soar, remains to be seen.

But, in a sporting age in which a lucky few can earn riches beyond the dreams of ordinary people, Rhona Barker, Fiona MacDonald, Janice Rankin, Debbie Knox, and reserve Maggie Morton have proved one thing:

We are so desperate in this country for sporting success that a glint of gold will do very nicely - no matter what the sport.