Sydney, NS – CanadaRachel Homan scored three points in the tenth end for a 9-7 semifinal win South KoreaEunji Jim on Saturday at the World Women's Curling Championship.
The Ottawa-based team of Homan, Tracey Fleury, Emma Mischio and Sarah Wilks will play defending champion Silvana Tirinzoni. Switzerland For gold on Sunday.
Tirinzoni was defeated ItalyStefania Constantini 6-3 in the other semifinal at 200th. South Korea and Italy will play for the bronze medal.
With a one-point hammer lead in 10th place, the Canadian team applied pressure and forced the South Korean team into some dunking attempts that were not completely buried.
Homan made a double takeout with her first rock to sit three points down. Jim responded with a draw that was only half covered and Homan picked him to win to the delight of the partisan crowd.
Homan earned a direct berth to the afternoon semifinals as the top seed after posting an 11-1 record in the round robin. Her only loss was to Jim in a Friday night playoff with first place already secured.
Jim earned a place in the quarter-finals with a 6-3 win SwedenAnna Hasselborg in a morning qualifying match.
Homan's weight was consistent all week and she tied for a couple in the second end to open the scoring. Jim answered in the third with a double out for three.
The teams traded singles over the next four ends before Canada picked up the tie from Homan's draw to the button. Jim was heavy with two draws in a row before the final throw to skip the Canadian.
In the ninth, Homan rubbed the South Korean stone on the four-foot hoop for Jim to make a soft putt to score two goals.
Canada gave 91 percent overall, compared to 82 percent for South Korea. Jim had a game-low 75 percent and shot just 57 percent in the draw.
Constantine won DenmarkMadeline DuPont 7-4 in the other qualifying match.
Homan is searching for her first world title since winning gold in 2017 in Beijing. Canada last won gold in the event in 2018 when Jennifer Jones was victorious in North Bay, Ont.
Tirinzoni, ranked number two in the world, has won four consecutive world titles. Top-ranked Homan beat her in a back-and-forth match to end the Swiss skip's 42-match winning streak in this competition.
Homan's only loss in the round robin ended her team's 27-game winning streak. Its rink has a season record of 61-6.
Third-place Jim and ninth-place Constantini are playing in this event for the fifth time. Neither skip has reached the women's world podium before.
The World Men's Curling Championship will be held from March 30 to April 7 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Brad Gushue of St. John's, NL, will skip the Canadian team.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2024.
Follow @GregoryStrongCP on X.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
