(Sydney) Canadian Rachel Homan defeated Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni 7-5 to win the gold medal at the World Women’s Curling Championship on Sunday.
Homan scored three points in the ninth end. Switzerland conceded the victory before making its last shot at 10e end since there was no way to create equality.
The victory ended Canada’s six-year drought at this event. This is also a first world title since 2017 for Homan. Canadian Jennifer Jones won gold in 2018 in North Bay, Ontario.
Homan and her Ottawa-based team of Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes picked up where they left off after winning the Canadian Championship last month.
Canada went 11-1 in the preliminary round at Center 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and then defeated South Korea’s Eunji Gim in the semifinals.
Tirinzoni had won the title in the four previous editions of the Worlds.
Homan ended Tirinzoni’s 42-game winning streak at the Worlds in the preliminary round. Canada’s only defeat – which ended a series of 27 triumphs in total – was suffered at the hands of Gim, in a confrontation without stakes for the representatives of the maple leaf.
Homan has a 62-6 record this season and a 24-8 career record against Tirinzoni.
Earlier, Gim defeated Italian Stefania Constantini 6-3 to get her hands on the bronze medal.
Gim made a double takeout to score three points in the 10e end and she reached the podium at this tournament for the first time in five career appearances.
Gim had the opportunity to score two points in the fourth end, but she had to settle for just one.
The South Korean came back strong with her placements on Sunday morning, after experiencing difficulties in the semi-final against Canada the day before.
Gim made a draw for two points and a 3-2 lead in the sixth end, but Italy tied the game in the eighth by playing safer rather than attempting a double takeout.
Both teams were blanked in the ninth end and Italy was unable to force Gim to attempt a draw on his last stone.
Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador will captain Team Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship, which begins next week in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.