Canadian skip Rachel Homan achieved a significant milestone on Sunday by leading her Ottawa-based team to an 8-2 victory over Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni in the CO-OP Tour Challenge final in Nisku, Alberta. This win marked Homan’s 19th Grand Slam title, surpassing Kevin Martin to become the most successful skip across both divisions. Competing in front of a supportive crowd of family, friends, and fans, Homan, along with her team members Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, and Sarah Wilkes, earned $34,500 for their triumph.
This final marked the ninth overall meeting between Homan and Tirinzoni in a Grand Slam women’s final, with Homan leading the head-to-head matchups 7-2. Homan expressed her joy at achieving this milestone in her hometown tournament, stating, “You couldn’t ask for anything more than that to have your home Slam be the one that you break records.”
In the final match, Homan started strong by scoring four points in the opening end, ultimately leading 5-2 after four ends before securing the win with a steal of one in the fifth end and two more points in the sixth. Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Scotland’s Bruce Mouat claimed a 5-2 victory over Matt Dunstone of Winnipeg, Manitoba, with Mouat clinching his 11th Grand Slam title.
The competition between Dunstone and Mouat was highly anticipated, as it was a rematch of the 2016 world junior final where Dunstone secured bronze for Canada, and Mouat claimed gold for Scotland. Mouat’s win comes after Dunstone’s victory at last month’s AMJ Masters in London, Ontario.
