Calgary’s Kayla Skrlik secured a significant victory at the Canadian curling trials in Halifax on Sunday by defeating Ottawa’s Rachel Homan, the top-ranked women’s team globally, in extra ends with a score of 8-7. This win marked the end of Homan’s 32-game winning streak against Canadian teams, lasting for 413 days.
Skrlik expressed her satisfaction with the win, highlighting its importance as a confidence booster for her team. Despite the victory, she emphasized the need to remain focused on each game individually throughout the competition. Skrlik’s rink broke a 4-4 tie by scoring three points in the ninth end, but Homan, the reigning Canadian and world champion, forced an extra end by securing three points in the 10th.
Christina Black from Halifax also claimed her first win of the Olympic trials by defeating Kaitlyn Lawes from Winnipeg with a score of 7-3. Meanwhile, Kerri Einarson’s team from Gimli, Man., remained undefeated with a 9-1 triumph over Corryn Brown from Kamloops, B.C., advancing their record to 3-0.
Selena Sturmay from Edmonton secured a dominant 12-5 victory over Kate Cameron from St. Adolphe, Man., bringing her record to 2-1. In other matches, Homan triumphed over Black 8-2, and Einarson narrowly defeated Cameron 6-5.
The competition also saw Lawes clinch an 8-7 victory over Sturmay, while Brown narrowly edged out Skrlik with a score of 7-6. In the men’s category, Brad Gushue and Matt Dunstone both improved their records to 2-0 by defeating Kevin Koe and Jordon McDonald, respectively.
John Epping claimed a 9-5 victory over Mike McEwen, Brad Jacobs secured a 6-4 win over Ryan Kleiter, and the winners of the men’s and women’s events will represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
