Rachel Homan and her curling team are officially headed to the Winter Olympics after a commanding performance at the 2025 Montana's Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax.
Dominant Victory Secures Olympic Dreams
The Ottawa-based skip captured Canada's women's curling spot for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games with a decisive 11-3 victory over hometown favorite Christina Black in Saturday's championship finale. The win completed a two-game sweep of the best-of-three women's championship series at Scotiabank Centre.
"There's no words," an emotional Homan told TSN and the capacity crowd after the victory. "It was our dream four years ago, putting this team together. That was the goal. And it's hard to believe that we're here."
Game Breakdown: How Homan Sealed the Victory
The championship match saw Homan's team demonstrate why they've been dominant forces in Canadian curling:
Third End Turning Point: The critical moment came in the third end when Black's final rock slid heavy and wide to the back of the eight-foot ring. This error gave Homan the opportunity to score four points with the hammer, which she executed perfectly with a tap-back of a Black stone.
Team Statistics: The winners dramatically out-curled Black's team 91% to 71%. Homan herself rebounded strongly from Friday's performance, curling at 95% efficiency in Game 2 compared to her 74% showing the previous day. Meanwhile, skip Black struggled with 58% efficiency, particularly with weight control throughout the match.
Road to Olympic Qualification
Homan's victory marks a triumphant return to Olympic competition after narrowly missing qualification in previous cycles. The team's dominance throughout the trials tournament and their consistent performance over the past two seasons made them favorites heading into the weekend.
Black, representing the Halifax Curling Club with teammates Jill Brothers, Jenn Baxter, Karlee Everist, and Marlee Powers, remained gracious in defeat. "Oh, my goodness," said a tearful Black. "Rachel Homan... they're amazing. They deserve to win and go to the Olympics for Canada."
The newly crowned Canadian Olympic representatives now look ahead to February 2026, when they'll wear the maple leaf in Cortina, Italy, continuing Canada's storied tradition in Olympic curling competition.
