HEARTBREAKING HISTORY

Homan rink will miss podium

In the end, there were just too many mistakes, too many half-shots and too much indecision for Rachel Homan’s team to be successful at the Olympics.

As a result, the Canadians are going home without a medal for the first time in an Olympic curling competition.

Homan’s team fell to 3-5 Wednesday morning with a 6-5 loss to Great Britain’s Eve Muirhead. Like a dagger to the heart, Muirhead sealed Canada’s fate by scoring two points in the 10th end for the victory.

“I’m just a little bit disappointed,” Homan said. “We wanted to try to make the playoffs for Canada.

We gave it all we had, we never gave up and that’s the way it goes sometimes with sport.

But we gave it all we had, we never gave up and that’s the way it goes sometimes with sport.”

The Canadians started with three straight losses at the Gangneung Curling Centre, bounced back to win their next three, but reverted to their struggles in their last two games, falling to China and Great Britain. Not only did they not make it to the podium, they didn’t even make the playoffs.

Nobody would have predicted this for the defending world champions. Nobody would have predicted it for a country that has won five medals in five tries in women’s curling at the Olympics, including gold in 2014.

Nobody would have predicted this for a country that has 11 medals in 11 events since curling became part of the Olympics in 1998.

There had to be a first time eventually. It certainly didn’t seem likely it would happen this year or to this team.

“We were just getting everyone’s best game and that’s what happens when you’re the world champs,” said Canadian third Emma Miskew.

“Every team was making a ton of shots against us. Every single team that was here earned their right to be here and they ’re amazing teams. They all play on tour with the Canadian teams and they beat the Canadian teams very often.”

Homan’s team, which also includes second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle, has a history of not winning the first time it attends a big event. They didn’t win the first time they played in the world junior championship, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the world championship or the Olympic trials.

But they did win all of those events eventually.

The only problem is this time they’ll have to wait at least four years to get another chance.

“This wasn’t the result we wanted to have,” Weagle said. “I really wanted to have a chance to fight for a medal for my teammates and for Canada.”

Canada was in control for much of Wednesday’s game despite a below-average performance from Homan herself, but things started to unravel in the sixth end.

Homan had a 3-2 lead when she tried a relatively easy shot for a blank end. But her shooter stuck around for a single point, giving the hammer to Great Britain.

Muirhead’s team capitalized on the gift, blanking the seventh and then scoring a deuce in the eighth to tie it at 4-4.