Concerns regarding umpires persisted at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Monday, but the Canadian women’s team’s losing streak did not.
Rachel Homan led her team to a 10-5 triumph against China’s Rui Wang, marking the first women’s session since the World Curling Federation revised its umpiring protocols.
“The flow was great, the vibes were positive, and the execution was solid,” Canadian coach Heather Nedohin remarked. “So, good morning, Canada.”
Homan, along with her Ottawa-based teammates Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, and Sarah Wilkes, scored four points in the fourth end and added three more in the sixth.
This victory snapped a three-match losing streak.
Later in the evening, Homan balanced her record at 3-3 with a 9-6 win over Japan’s Sayaka Yoshimura. In the 10th end, with Japan holding three, Homan executed a game-winning draw for a single point and the victory.
WATCH | Canada’s Homan evens record after defeating Japan:
In a previous match against Switzerland on Saturday, an umpire monitoring the hog line ruled that Homan had double-touched the stone, leading to a stone being pulled. This incident occurred on the first day of increased umpire presence in the delivery area to check for possible infractions.
The governing body of the sport announced on Sunday night that umpires would revert to their usual setup of monitoring the delivery area only when requested by the opposing team.
“There’s always something happening at the Olympics, right?” Miskew said. “This year it’s this situation. It’s fine; we’ll navigate through it, and I believe it will settle down in time.”
Following a request from China, an umpire was assigned to observe the hog line during Homan’s deliveries.
“They have every right to do that,” Homan stated. “We asked for the umpires to keep an eye on their team. They didn’t, but that’s alright. It’s not something we focus on. If you go over the hog line, it doesn’t matter to us.
“We’re concentrating on our game.”
In an email, Chris Hamilton, World Curling’s communications chief, clarified that Canada did not actually request the umpire to monitor China’s stones.
“They inquired about how long umpires would observe Rachel’s stones following China’s request and were informed about which ends she would be watched,” Chris Hamilton mentioned in an email. “They then asked why the umpires weren’t also observing China’s stones.
“However, as explained in the meeting with team representatives and reiterated in our statement [on Sunday], teams must request for an athlete’s deliveries to be monitored by an umpire, and only that athlete will be observed.”
WATCH | Team Homan returns to winning ways after defeating China:
The top four teams at the conclusion of round-robin play on Thursday afternoon will move forward to the semifinals on Friday.
“We anticipate that from that team,” Homan noted. “While we wouldn’t expect it from certain teams, it’s bound to happen. This is the Olympics.”
Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg (6-0) remained undefeated after a 6-4 victory over Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni. Great Britain’s Sophie Jackson (2-3) secured a win against Denmark’s Madeleine Dupont with a score of 7-2.
“We aim to play fiercely, with pride, and give our all,” Homan expressed. “That’s all we can control. It’s within every other team’s right to call officials if they feel that’s necessary for their gameplay.”
As the evening draw commenced, American Tabitha Peterson held second place at 4-1. Switzerland and South Korea’s Eunji Gim followed at 3-2, while Denmark’s record fell to 3-3.
“When we’re performing as we are, it feels like we’re wearing blinders,” Nedohin remarked. “Right now, whether it’s the cameramen, the lively crowd, or the officials, we’re focusing on executing in front of us.”
Medal matches are set for the upcoming weekend.
Jacobs improves to 5-1
Jacobs and his Calgary-based squad, including Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, and Ben Hebert, started strong with four consecutive singles and extended their lead with a three-point sixth end, claiming an easy 8-2 win.
Jacobs executed a remarkable angle-raise to remove a Czech stone for a significant score.
“It feels like we’re back to normal, able to play freely and execute everything we’ve been diligently working on,” Jacobs stated.
WATCH | Canada’s Jacobs defeats Czechia 8-2:
With the match well in hand, Canadian alternate Tyler Tardi made his Olympic debut in the seventh end, substituting for Hebert.
Tardi, a 27-year-old from Calgary, successfully made back-to-back draws to the four-foot ring. Canada secured the victory with a point in the eighth end.
“It’s a lot to absorb and absolutely thrilling,” he said. “But I doubt words can truly convey how I’m feeling right now.”
Tardi typically plays as third for a team led by Kevin Koe and also served as the fifth player for Jacobs during last season’s world championship.
“I think he shot 100 percent, so not a bad Olympic start so far,” Canadian coach Paul Webster remarked.
Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller was leading the standings at 5-0, with Canada holding the second spot ahead of American Daniel Casper and Norway’s Magnus Ramsfjell at 4-2.
Canada’s next opponent on Tuesday is the top-ranked Bruce Mouat from Great Britain, who currently sits in fifth place at 4-3. The top four teams at the end of the round-robin will move on to the semifinals on Thursday night.