Canadian women curlers finally get Olympic victory

US team beaten 11-3

GANGNEUNG, South Korea, Feb 17, (AP): Canada heaved a collective sigh of relief on Sunday after the defending world champion women’s curling team finally nabbed its first win of the Olympic round robin, a much-needed victory for a team that had inexplicably fallen to last place.

The Canadians’ 11-3 victory over the US followed three straight losses at the Pyeongchang Games, a performance that few had anticipated from a team that was heavily favored to win the gold.

On Sunday, Canada’s captain, or “skip,” Rachel Homan appeared

Canada’s win comes one day after a stinging defeat to Denmark that was marred by controversy over a foul. With Canada trailing, a Danish player lightly touched a stone that was in motion — a flub known as a “burned rock.” Under the rules, Canada had the option of ignoring the foul, rearranging the stones to whatever position they think they would have ended up if the stone hadn’t been touched, or removing the stone from play.

Homan chose to remove the stone, the most aggressive option. While that was within the rules, many curling fans — particularly Canadians — were shocked by the move, which some dubbed dishonorable. Curling has a deeply ingrained ethos of good sportsmanship, and the rules dictate that players treat their opponents kindly.

Denmark ended up winning the game in overtime, and Homan later defended her decision to remove the rock, saying she was just following the rules.

Homan’s team appeared to put the drama behind them on Sunday, and Canadians — perhaps the most feverish curling fans on the planet — were relieved. The crowd erupted into chants of Homan’s name, and maple leaf flags waved wildly following the long-sought victory.

Jay Leroi, of Ontario, Canada, who was nursing a beer in the stands after the win, empathized with the heavy expectations his country had placed on the team.

“There’s a massive amount of pressure, because we love our winter games,” he said. “We love our hockey, we love our curling, we love our skiing, we love our boarding. This (win) is wonderful. I think that means that they’re going to be rebounding.”

Canada’s Brent Laing (left), and Ben Hebert brush in front of the stone during the curling men’s round robin session between Canada and Sweden during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung

Curling Centre in Gangneung on Feb 17. (AFP)