Writer

World Curling Media

November 3, 2024

It came down to the referee’s decision in the final stone, but the Canadian women ultimately defeated Korea 6-5 in the gold medal final of the 2024 Pan Continental Curling Championships in Lacombe on Saturday afternoon.

This match was competitive from start to finish. Canada started with two points in the first game, but Korea quickly responded as Gim Eunji hit a double and scored two points to tie the game at 2-2.

After skipping Rachel Homan, Canada opted to leave the next two ends open and found themselves forced to pull inside two Korean pieces to take a point in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead into the break.

In the sixth end, it was Korea’s turn to score points as Gim pulled in three Canadian pieces on the house one by one, tying the game back to 3-3.

In the seventh end, tight play meant Canada once again had to concede just one point; Homan made a last-ditch effort inside two Korean pieces sitting home to take a 4-3 lead. The Koreans then made a breakthrough in the eighth round when Korea jumped Gim to tie it for two points and take a 5-4 lead.

Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Canada’s captain Rachel Homan responded with a double out, scoring a run and tying the game at 5-5.

This gave Korea the last piece advantage in the tenth end and it looked like they had done enough to win when Skip Gim made his last effort to break through a narrow gap to reach the 1.2 meter ring and take back Canada’s counter. However, the referee’s measurement showed that he failed to move the Canadian piece sufficiently, giving Canada a steal from the end, a score of 6-5, the gold medal and the championship.

Following her victory, Canadian Rachel Homan said: “This is amazing. It was exciting to be in that gold medal game and it was one for the fans to watch. “It was a strong week for the team and we had a lot of fun.”

Meanwhile, silver medalist Gim Eunji said, “It was a very enjoyable game for everyone, so we are happy to present such a game to the audience.

“The opponents played great, but I know we played very well too. I’m proud of my team.

“I know that my performance was not at its peak during the tournament, but my teammates trusted me and helped me a lot, so we were able to succeed and achieve the result.”

In the B Division finals, the Australian women beat Jamaica 11-4 to win the gold medal and advance to next year’s A Division; Kazakhstan previously won the bronze medal.

The Philippines won the men’s B Division with a 9-3 win over Kazakhstan and they are now promoted to next year’s A Division. Before this final, Hong Kong China had won the bronze medal in the men’s B League.

Medal winners

Gold: Canada
Rachel Homan (skip and fourth), Tracy Fleury (third), Emma Miskew (second), Sarah Wilkes (lead), Rachel Brown (spar).
Viktor Kjell (coach)

Silver: Korea
Gim Eunji (skip and fourth), Kim Minji (third), Kim Suji (second), Seol Yeeun (lead), Seol Yeji (sub).
Shin Dong Ho (coach)

Bronze: China
Wang Rui (skip and fourth), Han Yu (third), Dong Ziqi (second), Jiang Jiayi (lead), Su Tingyu (sub).
Zang Jialiang (coach)

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