Calgary’s Kayla Skrlik secured a significant victory at the Canadian curling trials in Halifax on Sunday. Skrlik’s team triumphed over the top-ranked women’s squad in the world, Rachel Homan’s crew from Ottawa, in a thrilling 8-7 victory in extra ends. This victory ended Homan’s impressive 32-game winning streak against Canadian opponents, a streak lasting 413 days.
Skrlik expressed her pleasure with the win, stating, “It’s a really good confidence booster, probably the best one we could have hoped for. However, it’s a long week ahead, and we must stay focused. We are approaching each shot and game one at a time, which proved crucial against Rachel.”
Breaking a 4-4 deadlock in the ninth end with a decisive three-point advance, Skrlik (1-2) took the lead. Homan (2-1), the reigning Canadian and world champion, forced the game into an extra end by securing three points in the 10th end with a draw.
Reflecting on the match, Skrlik commented, “Scoring three in the 10th end is more achievable than you might think, especially when both teams are performing well. We anticipated the possibility of going into extra ends. Having the hammer in the extra end was all we could hope for.”
In another game, Halifax’s Christina Black (1-2) claimed her first victory of the Olympic trials by defeating Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes (2-1) with a 7-3 score. Meanwhile, Kerri Einarson’s team from Gimli, Manitoba, remained unbeaten at 3-0 after a commanding 9-1 win over Corryn Brown (1-2) from Kamloops, British Columbia.
Edmonton’s Selena Sturmay (2-1) also secured a convincing 12-5 victory over Kate Cameron from St. Adolphe, Manitoba. The only undefeated team in the women’s standings after these matches was Einarson’s rink.
In the men’s games on Sunday afternoon, Brad Gushue and Matt Dunstone, both from Winnipeg, improved their records to 2-0. Gushue outplayed Calgary’s Kevin Koe (1-1) with a 5-3 win, while Dunstone defeated Jordon McDonald (0-2) also from Winnipeg with an 8-4 score.
The victors of the men’s and women’s competitions at the trials will earn the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.