Canada's Rachel Homan on a roll as she looks to defend world women's curling title
Rachel Homan and her juggernaut Canadian championship team know their No. 1 world ranking doesn't guarantee success at the 2025 world women's curling championship.
But that doesn't mean Homan, vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes won't be full of confidence when they begin their title defence when the 13-country championship begins Saturday in Uijeongbu, South Korea.
The Homan team has been together for three years and has been dominant over the past 18 months, winning back-to-back Scotties Tournament of Hearts titles and the 2024 world championship in Sydney, N.S.
"We find the more experience we get playing together, the stronger we get," Fleury said. "We're all really comfortable with one another now."
Since Homan returned to competition three weeks after giving birth to her third child in September 2023, the defending world champions reeled off six titles last season and six more in this campaign.
They also posted a record-tying 22 straight wins in their back-to-back Tournament of Hearts victories, tying a mark the Homan rink set between 2013-15.
"Last season was unbelievable, and I think heading into this season, we kind of tried to prepare ourselves it's OK if this season's not quite as incredible as last season," Fleury said.
"[Last season] would be hard to replicate. But we came out strong again this year, and we're winning a lot of games. But we're still trying to find ways to make small improvements."
Three weeks ago in Thunder Bay, Ont., Homan and Miskew won their fifth Canadian championship together in 11 appearances, one shy of Jennifer Jones' record of six.
WATCH | Homan's rink successfully defends Canadian women's crown:
Homan defeats Einarson at Scotties for 5th Canadian title
17 days ago
Duration 2:06
Jones now coaches the Homan team, which represents the Ottawa Curling Club. But Jones won't join Canada in South Korea because of a scheduling conflict.
Canadian national team coaches Viktor Kjell and Renee Sonnenberg, along with team alternate Rachelle Brown, will handle the mentoring duties.
"This was something we were aware could be a possible factor," Kjell said. "Together with Renee and Rachelle, we'll be fine. I've spent a lot of time with the team throughout the season and various training [sessions]."
With the world championship in South Korea, Canada will have to overcome the jet lag and a lack of in-person support.
"I think, if anything, we're a little more prepared than last year," said the 35-year-old Homan, who curled a perfect 100 per cent in her team's 6-1 win against Kerri Einarson and Manitoba in the Canadian championship final last month.
"We know what to do training-wise. Being overseas quite a bit, we know the jet lag and the importance of getting in the right zone, feeling ready for the games."
WATCH | Who is Rachel Homan the curler, and mom?:
Misunderstood: Who is Rachel Homan the curler, and mom?
2 months ago
Duration 5:01
The Canadian curler has spent years under the spotlight as an athlete. But CBC Sports' Devin Heroux takes us behind the scenes to see who she is off the ice.
Homan and Miskew represented Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, a two-hour drive east of Uijeongbu, but finished sixth.
The Canadians departed for South Korea on Sunday. They open against Virginija Paulauskaite's Lithuania rink before facing Rebecca Morrison's Scotland foursome in their second match on Saturday.
"We know what to expect," said Miskew, who, along with Homan, has won two world championships in five appearances.
"We feel that support, whether we're in Canada or not. They're watching.
"We'll pretty much duplicate last year's schedule, even though it was in Canada. We'll be ready."
WATCH | Rachel Homan on meeting fans, and being mic'd up while curling:
Rachel Homan on meeting fans, and being mic'd up while curling
2 months ago
Duration 2:38
The Canadian curler talks to CBC Sports' Devin Heroux about how she signs every autograph, and the difficulties of always being mic'd up as a curler.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
13 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian midfielder Mathieu Choiniere joins Los Angeles FC on loan from Swiss club
LOS ANGELES – Canadian international midfielder Mathieu Choiniere is returning to Major League Soccer, joining Los Angeles FC on loan from Grasshopper Club Zurich through the end of the year. The 26-year-old from St-Alexandre, Que., made 18 appearances for the Swiss club, including eight starts, since arriving last August on a transfer from CF Montreal. 'Mathieu is a proven performer in our league whose experience, intelligence, and versatility in midfield will be a tremendous asset to our group,' LAFC co-president and GM John Thorrington. 'We're thrilled to welcome him to LAFC as we strengthen our roster in pursuit of more trophies.' Choiniere, whose older brother David plays for Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League, has won 17 caps for Canada. Mathieu Choiniere was the first player in CF Montreal franchise history to have progressed through every stage of the academy, which he joined in 2011. He signed his professional contract on July 17, 2018, making his first-team debut the next day in a 1-0 Canadian Championship win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Over seven seasons with Montreal's first team, he played 139 games across all competitions and was named to the MLS all-star team in 2023 and 2024. Choiniere was named the club's Most Valuable Player in 2023. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025
Winnipeg Free Press
13 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Vicky Sunohara returns as head coach of Canadian women's under-18 hockey team
CALGARY – Vicky Sunohara returns as head coach of the Canadian women's under-18 hockey team, and Alison Domenico will coach the women's development team a second straight year. Toronto's Sunohara, a two-time Olympic gold medallist who was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame this year, coached the under-18 team to a world championship gold medal in Finland in January. Ottawa's Domenico, who was an assistant coach on the national women's team that won both Olympic and world championship gold medals in 2022, navigated the under-22 team to silver in last year's Women's Euro Hockey Tour, and a 1-1-1 record in a three-game series against the U.S. There isn't an IIHF world junior championship for women, but Hockey Canada runs an under-22 program of some international games to develop players for the national squad. An under-18 selection camp Aug. 6-9 in Calgary will determine a roster for a three-game series Aug. 13-16 against the United States in Lake Placid, N.Y., Hockey Canada announced Monday. Canada will also attempt to defend its world under-18 title Jan. 8-18, 2026, in Sydney and Membertou, N.S. The development team will train in Montreal before a three-game series Aug. 13-16 against its American counterparts in Lake Placid. Sunohara has coached the University of Toronto women's team for 15 years. Domenico is in her second year behind the University of Ottawa's bench. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'Vicky and Alison have displayed incredible passion for our women's program, and we are thrilled to have both return to our under-18 and development teams this year,' said Hockey Canada's senior manager of hockey operations Dylan Rockwell in a statement Monday. 'These teams are crucial steps in our women's program and demand a high-level of dedication from the coaching staffs who will assist our athletes in their development. We are excited to announce the coaches and support staff who will provide the necessary skills and guidance to our teams on the international stage this season.' Amanda Benoit-Wark, a former national-team player, and Marc-Andre Cote join Sunohara on the under-18 coaching staff as her assistants, along with goalie coach Sheldon Goertzen and video coach Carlee Campbell. Matt Desrosiers and Chris MacKenzie will be Domenico's assistants on the development squad, with Brad Fogal serving as goalie coach and Josh Bell as video coach. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
Edmonton Journal
an hour ago
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: Hockey Canada trial exposes culture of victim-blaming
Article content All of Canada it seems was tuned into the verdict Thursday for the five hockey players accused of sexual assault. For advocates and survivors, we did so with a feeling of dread and a terribly familiar feeling of déjà vu. Article content The players have of course been found not guilty. The accusation was that 2018 Canadian world junior champions and ex-NHL players Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote sexually assaulted a women called E.M. in a London hotel room in the early hours of June 19, 2018, when she was 20 years old. McLeod was also acquitted of being a party to a sexual assault, for allegedly encouraging his teammates to engage in sexual activity with E.M. when he knew she wasn't consenting. Article content Article content Article content The judge's verdict seemed to go out of its way to dismiss the experience of E.M., calling her unreliable, despite the fact that Hockey Canada seemed to find it valid enough to award her a large settlement and the police felt there was valid evidence to pursue charges. It is worth noting that of all the cases reported to police of sexual assault, research suggests only a small percentage go to trial, so this wasn't a case without merit or reason. Article content Article content Regardless of whether these actions met the weight of a criminal act, they were at their most obvious, sexual misconduct. It has been determined in court that these five men knew the victim was drunk; they texted afterwards about getting their stories straight and they also got her to film a video asserting her consent. At no time in my entire dating life have I had to do that and I am sure you have not either. Article content Article content However, the responses online have been vicious: Comment after comment calling her a whore. Saying she wanted it. Saying she should even be prosecuted. Article content I have written for this publication and others for over a decade on sexual violence. I am a survivor myself. During Me Too, we had this false moment of belief that the culture of victim-blaming or slut-shaming was over, that we had reached a new point of being able to approach the issue of sexual violence from a victim centric approach. Article content Now, when I use that term I get people saying 'innocent until proven guilty.' Yes, absolutely. I am not saying, nor is any advocate, that we should not have a fair judicial process in these matters but is it fair to subject a survivor to five days of aggressive testimony when none of the players save one had to do the same? Is it fair that she is accused of trying to ruin people's lives and deemed a slut and these players are given a free pass? None of this is fair. The system itself is designed — despite recent moves to train judges and increase awareness — to protect people who commit sexual violence and when it comes to sports stars, the public is all too happy to be part of it.
