Olympic bronze medal for Rachel Homan and Team Canada

Rachel Homan finally has her Olympic medal.

After failing to make the playoffs in two previous appearances – 2018 as the women’s team skip and 2022 in mixed doubles – Homan guided Team Canada to a stressful 10-7 victory over the United States on Saturday morning to win the bronze medal at Milano Cortina 2026.

It is also the first Olympic medal for her teammates – third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes. Canada scored three in the sixth and three more in the eighth in the intensely played battle. The U.S. countered with deuces in the seventh and ninth ends but when Tabitha Peterson’s final stone in the tenth end rubbed a guard, Canada had its win.

Both teams finished the round robin at 6-3 and lost in their respective semifinals; Canada 6-3 to Anna Hasselborg of Sweden and the U.S. 7-4 to Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland.

Peterson beat Homan 9-8 in the round robin, the first time the U.S. had ever beaten Canada in Olympic women’s curling. That loss started Canada’s three-game losing streak that put their playoff hopes in jeopardy until they turned things around with five consecutive wins to secure a spot in the semifinals.

Both teams brought their A game right from the opening stones – Wilkes’ centre-line guard and U.S. lead Taylor Anderson-Heide’s draw to the button. Fleury, who had struggled the last two games, made a superb angle raised take-out to finally eliminate the U.S. counter, setting the stage for a draw-shot demonstration by the skips.

Homan made two perfect draws: first a freeze to outcount a U.S. stone at the back of the four foot followed by sitting on the button to outcount Peterson’s shot stone.

Not to be outdone, Peterson, with last rock, drew the edge of the button around cover and then a soft tap back of Homan’s counter to open the scoring.

Canada got that single back in the second. After the seconds and thirds exchanged draws and hits on the outer edges of the eight foot, Homan came through a port to hit and stick in the four foot for one.

Canada almost had a steal in the third until Peterson’s final stone. U.S. third Cory Thiesse’s tap back of Canada’s stone in the four foot left Homan a double takeout that ended with Canada sitting two. An exchange of gentle hits by the skips left Peterson making a soft tap back against two Canadian stones to escape with a single.

After Fleury wrecked on a guard with her first stone in the fourth, a Thiesse draw left the U.S. counting three inside the four foot. Fleury eliminated one and Peterson slid her first shot draw through the house, giving Homan the opportunity to draw for shot. Homan’s last-rock try to draw the full button for two was inches narrow.

Canada put some pressure on the U.S. in the fifth, getting two stones in the house behind cover. But Thiesse’s runback double got her team out of trouble, Peterson still had to make a successful draw against three Canadian counters to give the U.S. a 3-2 lead at the five-end break.

Statistically Canada had the edge, outshooting the U.S. 88 to 83 but Peterson was outperforming Homan 85 to 78 percent. Wilkes and Miskew were both above 93 percent.

A whiff by U.S. second Tara Peterson with her second stone in the sixth created Canada’s first real opportunity to score more than a single. The Canadians did not hesitate to take advantage. And when Tabitha Peterson rubbed and rolled out on a hit-and-roll try with her final stone, Homan executed a hit-and-stick to score three.

Canada had failed to score more than a single in their semifinal loss.

Homan and her teammates went on the offensive in the seventh, putting pressure on the U.S. in an attempt to prevent a blank to switch last rock to the even ends. The move backfired, however, when Peterson made two perfect draws to the button – the last one through a narrow port – to score two and tie the game.

Canada’s decision to go into the house immediately in the eighth ultimately left Peterson facing three Canadian counters inside the four foot, behind a guard. Peterson’s take out got out only one Canadian stone, leaving Homan an open draw for another three.

Canada flooded the house again in the ninth, eager to ensure no multiple score end by the U.S. Again, however, it was Peterson’s draw-shot ability that bailed out her team and kept them alive going into the tenth. Facing three Canadian counters Peterson made two precise tap backs to score two.