Canada, Switzerland clash for world curling gold Sunday on TSN
Published
Another chapter in one of the best rivalries in curling will be written on Sunday when Canada's Team Rachel Homan battles Team Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland in the gold medal final at the World Women's Curling Championship for the second straight year.
Team Homan punched their ticket to the final after a thrilling 6-5 extra end semifinal victory over the host South Koreans led by Eunji Gim on Sunday morning.
Leading by a single point in the 10th end without hammer, Homan needed to make a impressive double takeout to force Gim to a single point and send the game to an extra.
"I was pretty emotional after that. It was huge for us and huge for Canada. We wanted to make that, and I didn't know if it was going to stop falling. Thankfully, it did, and it was just a huge moment to keep our chances alive," Homan told Curling Canada.
Homan made a slew of tremendous shots during a commanding 10-4 win over Scotland in the semifinal qualifier on Saturday night.
Switzerland defeated China's Team Rui Wang, 4-2, in the other semifinal.
The two world class rinks have been going head-to-head for years, highlighted by Team Homan ending Team Tirinzoni's four-year reign with a 7-5 victory in last year's women's worlds final in Sydney, N.S.
Canada has won consecutive titles at the World Women's Curling Championship in the past, but Team Homan can become the first foursome to capture gold in back-to-back years with the same lineup since Sandra Schmirler and her great rink from Saskatchewan won in 1993 and 1994.
Homan, alongside third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes are 4-0 against the Swiss squad this season, beating them in two finals and earlier this week during round robin play at the women's worlds.
In fact, Homan has dominated Tirinzoni over the years, holding a 28-9 all-time record, including winning 14 of their last 16 matchups.
Team Tirinzoni, ranked second in the world, holds a 64-20 record in 2024-25 with three wins on tour, including the European Curling Championships in November. The team is rounded out by last rock thrower Alina Paetz, second Selina Witschonke and lead Carole Howald.
World No. 1 Team Homan has put together a second historically dominant season in a row, producing a 68-6 record with six event wins, including the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and two Grand Slams. They've now reached the final in all nine events they've played.
Canada finished round robin play with a 10-2 record while Switzerland finished first at 11-1 (with their lone loss coming against Team Homan) to earn a bye to the semifinal.
Homan has won world titles in 2017 and 2024.
South Korea and China will battle for the bronze medal, a game you can watch Saturday night at 9pm ET on TSN1, TSN.ca and the TSN App.