LACOMBE, Alta. — Team Rachel Homan has added another significant accomplishment to its ever-growing list, capturing Canada’s first-ever gold medal in women’s competition at the 2024 Pan Continental Curling Championships.
In a nail-biting finish, Canada edged out South Korea’s Team Eunji Gim with a 6-5 victory on Saturday evening at the Gary Moe Auto Group Sportsplex.
The game’s outcome was far from certain for skip Rachel Homan, vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, lead Sarah Wilkes, alternate Rachel Bown, and national coaches Viktor Kjell and Renee Sonnenberg. Entering the 10th end tied at five and without hammer, they needed precision and patience.
One crucial shot turned the game around. During South Korea’s final second stone, an attempted peel went awry, knocking out their own counter and leaving Canada in the house, guarded. For Canada’s final shot, Team Homan played a guard to protect their winning point. The guard held, though South Korea had a narrow opening to tap Canada’s stone back for the win. Team Gim maneuvered through the port and tapped back Canada’s stone, but after a measure, Canada claimed the victory.
“We definitely had to stay together. We were just a little bit on the wrong side of the inch on a couple of those through the game and kept battling through. We knew it would take 10 ends to beat them and we got a couple mistakes from them late and could capitalize on that,” Homan said. “She was really close on her last one. The shot was barely there because she had to throw it light enough to get through that hole, but enough to tap it back. It was a great game by them and it took us every shot to steal the win.”
This was Team Homan’s debut at the Pan Continental Championships, marking the first time Canadian women have taken gold since the event began in 2022. As reigning world champions, Team Homan continues to shine in Canadian colours.
“We’ve never played in this before and we know that Canada hasn’t been in that gold-medal game, so it’s nice to represent Canada, to be here and take home the gold,” said Homan, who lives in nearby Beaumont, Alta. “It’s just really exciting that we’re able to do that again with the Maple Leaf on our back. It’s something we never take for granted and we’re grateful to be able to put on these jerserys. We’re so proud.”
Canada opened the game with hammer, securing two points in the first end thanks to a team effort. Homan’s exact freeze to a South Korean stone at the back of the button, supported by strong sweeping from Wilkes and Miskew, set up an opportunity for a draw for two.
South Korea responded in the second end with a skip’s deuce, tying the game. Canada aimed to set up in the third and fourth ends but came away with blanks. In the fifth, Team Homan was forced to a single, with Homan delivering a clutch draw to the button for a one-point lead heading into the fifth-end break.
South Korea kept pace and would even overtake Canada late in the game. Canada scored a single in the seventh and the eighth end saw Team Gim turn the tide. Team Homan’s attempted hit-and-roll missed its mark, giving South Korea an open draw for two and its first lead.
Canada equalized in the ninth with a double for one, sending the game into the 10th end tied, with South Korea holding the hammer.
South Korea, the 2023 Pan Continental champions, took silver, while China’s Team Rui Wang defeated Japan’s Team Miyu Ueno 7-3 to claim bronze earlier in the day.
In the men’s competition, Team Brad Gushue of Canada fell short in a close 10-8 bronze-medal game loss to Team John Shuster of the United States on Friday afternoon. China’s Team Xiaoming Xu defeated Japan’s Team Shinya Abe 6-4 to secure gold on Saturday morning.
