Canada beats U.S. for bronze as Homan wins 1st Olympic medal

Rachel Homan's rink finally has an Olympic medal.

The Canadian curlers defeated the United States 10-7 on Saturday to claim bronze at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.

It's the first time Canada has reached the Olympic podium in women's curling since Jennifer Jones captured gold at the Sochi Games in 2014.

Homan and Co. were "heartbroken" after losing to Sweden in the semifinals and missing out on the chance to play for gold, but the world's top-ranked team recovered from that setback and pulled out an entertaining victory over the Americans in a contest that featured great shot-making from both squads.

"It's hard to describe," Homan said after taking home her first medal in her third Olympic appearance, according to the CBC. "The week that we had, the fight that we showed, I'm so incredibly proud of the team and how we fought to get this bronze medal."

Her Ottawa-based team of Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, and Sarah Wilkes struggled early in round-robin play in Italy, starting 1-3 before finishing strong to reach the medal rounds.

Homan missed the playoffs in her Olympic debut in 2018, and again four years later in Beijing in the mixed doubles event.

Tabitha Peterson's American rink, meanwhile, was looking to win the United States' first-ever Olympic medal in women's curling.

The U.S. stunned Homan in round-robin play, but couldn't repeat the feat Saturday, ultimately coming up just short.

Sweden will play Switzerland for gold on Sunday.