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 held in Nisku, Alta. Homan’s win marked her 19th Grand Slam title, surpassing the record previously held by Alberta’s Kevin Martin for the most titles among all skips in both divisions.
Homan, who hails from nearby Beaumont, Alta., secured the victory in front of a supportive crowd of family, friends, and fans. Alongside her teammates Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, and Sarah Wilkes, Homan earned $34,500 for their triumph.
This final marked the third consecutive and ninth overall encounter between Homan and Tirinzoni in a Grand Slam women’s final. Homan had previously won the AMJ Masters last month, while Tirinzoni claimed victory in the Players’ Championship last April. Homan currently leads their head-to-head matchups with a 7-2 record.
Expressing her joy, Homan stated, “You couldn’t ask for anything more than that to have your home Slam be the one that you break records. It’s just really surreal right now to be able to do it in front of friends and family.”
In the final, Homan got off to a strong start by scoring four points in the first end and maintained a lead of 5-2 after four ends. She ultimately secured the win with a steal of one point in the fifth end and two points in the sixth.
On the men’s side, Bruce Mouat from Scotland emerged victorious with a 5-2 win over Matt Dunstone from Winnipeg, Man. This victory marked Mouat’s 11th Grand Slam title, while Dunstone had previously claimed his second Grand Slam title at the AMJ Masters in London, Ont. The matchup between Mouat and Dunstone was highly anticipated, as it was a rematch of the 2016 world junior final where Dunstone secured bronze for Canada and Mouat clinched gold for Scotland.
