title: Peja Lindholm
text: # Peja Lindholm
  
  Peter "Peja" Rutger Lindholm (born 2 June 1970 in Östersund, Sweden) is a retired Swedish curler. Lindholm is currently a coach of the Chinese Curling Association. Before Niklas Edin, many regarded him as the best European skip ever.
  
  Over his two-decade curling playing career, Lindholm won three World Championships as a skip, winning in 1997, 2001 and 2004, and also being runner up in both 1998 and 2000. He is also a two-time European Champion (1998 and 2001) and is a former World Junior Champion (1989). He had constant disappointment in his career though at the Olympics, where despite being one of the gold medal favorites in each of the 1998, 2002, and 2006 Games, his team ended up medalless, coming closest in 2002 with a 4th place finish.
  
  One thing he was known for was amazing success against and being the career nemesis of Kevin Martin, even running up a streak of 10 consecutive wins at one point which was broken in the semi-finals of the 2002 Olympics. He also had an excellent record vs. the all-time great team of Randy Ferbey in the 2000s.
  
  Lindholm announced his retirement from curling following the 2007 European Curling Championships.
  
  ## Coaching career
  
  In 2011, Lindholm became the coach of the Swedish men's team skipped by Niklas Edin, coaching them in the World Championships. He also coached the Swedish women's team at the 2010 World Championship. He then became the Swedish national coach in 2015 when Fredrik Lindberg became the team coach.
  
  He was also either the Coach or Captain of Team Europe at the Continental Cup each time it was held from 2008–2015.
  
  ## Awards
  
  * Colin Campbell Award: 1995
  * WJCC Sportsmanship Award: 1990
  * WJCC All-Star skip: 1989, 1990
  * WJCC All-Star second: 1991
  * In 1998 he was inducted into the Swedish Curling Hall of Fame.
  