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 team in the world, Ottawa’s Rachel Homan, with a score of 8-7 in extra ends. This marked the end of Homan’s 32-game winning streak against Canadian teams that lasted for 413 days.
Reflecting on the win, Skrlik expressed that it provided a substantial boost in confidence for her team. Despite the victory, she emphasized the importance of maintaining focus throughout the remainder of the competition. Skrlik’s team took the lead with a three-point ninth end, breaking the tie with Homan. However, Homan, the reigning Canadian and world champion, managed to force an extra end by scoring three points in the 10th.
Following her victory, Halifax’s Christina Black also claimed her first win of the Olympic trials by defeating Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes with a score of 7-3. Meanwhile, Kerri Einarson’s team from Gimli, Man., remained undefeated with a 9-1 win over Corryn Brown from Kamloops, B.C.
In other matches, Edmonton’s Selena Sturmay secured a victory over Kate Cameron of St. Adolphe, Man., with a score of 12-5. The competition continued with Homan defeating Black 8-2 and Einarson narrowly winning 6-5 against Cameron.
In the men’s category, Brad Gushue from St. John’s and Matt Dunstone from Winnipeg both improved their records to 2-0. Gushue defeated Calgary’s Kevin Koe 5-3, while Dunstone overcame Jordon McDonald from Winnipeg with a score of 8-4. Additionally, John Epping of Sudbury, Ont., secured a 9-5 victory over Mike McEwen from Saskatoon, and Brad Jacobs from Calgary scored two points in the 11th end for a 6-4 win against Ryan Kleiter from Saskatoon.
The winners of the men’s and women’s competitions will have the honor of representing Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.