Canada Rolls into Women’s Olympic Curling Playoffs

There is no dreaded Draw Shot Challenge (DSC) at these Olympic Curling Games.

After a winter weather delay, the women’s Olympic team curling round robin got underway with playoff implications for three of the four sheets.

The results were thrilling for the loud and boisterous crowd at the Cortina Olympic Curling Stadium.

Canada’s Rachel Homan continued her roll, winning her sixth game in a row by beating Korea’s Kim Un-chi 9-7. 

It was a win-to-get-in for both squads.

After the match, the emotional Koreans huddled half-behind an area partition, protected by coach Guy Hemmings.

Great Britain had to beat hosts Italy, and they did so by a 7-4 count... however, they needed a Swiss victory over USA to get into the playoffs.

USA was up against it against Switzerland, with Tabitha Peterson boasting only three wins over Silvana Tirinzoni against 14 career losses (1-9 since the 2022-23 season) and the see-saw battle went to an extra end with the score tied 6-6.

Peterson, however had last-rock advantage.

On her first stone, Swiss fourth Alina Paetz had a chance to sink USA with a perfect come-around to lie three behind cover. Her stone gazed her third-shot stone and still spun a corner behind.

After a USA timeout, Peterson bumped the Swiss shot stone to back eight-foot rings and rolled her shooter open for second shot – the Swiss still lay one behind cover.

Paetz madę her hit and roll perfectly but didn’t look thrilled; Peterson still had a wide draw to touch the edge of the button.

The USA skip, playing in her third Olympic Winter Games, made the draw and qualified for the semifinals.

As a result, top-ranked Sweden (7-2) will face the resurgent Canadians in one semifinal, while USA will face Switzerland (both 6-3) in a rematch.

The men’s semifinals get under way at 7:35 p.m., with the women’s semifinals scheduled for early Friday morning.