Winter Olympics: USA stun rivals Canada to end 28-year wait for win
The United States women’s curling team have claimed their first-ever Olympic victory over Canada, edging out the world number ones 9-8 in a dramatic contest in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
It was a result that stunned the rink, with the American quartet unaware they had made history until after the final stone was thrown.
Ending a historic drought
Since women’s curling debuted at the 1998 Games, the two nations have met in every tournament.
However, the Canadians had emerged victorious on every previous occasion, dominating the rivalry for nearly three decades.
While the US men famously secured gold against their northern neighbours in 2018, the women’s squad had been forced to wait for their own breakthrough moment.
Friday’s triumph against Team Homan, widely considered the best on the planet, finally snapped that losing streak.
“If that’s true, I think we just played a really good game,” said Minneapolis native Taylor Anderson-Heide following the nail-biting finish.
“They’re number one in the world.”
Capitalising on the ice
Tabitha Peterson’s side managed to capitalise on uncharacteristic errors from the Canadian skip Rachel Homan.
The Americans walked down the ice raising their fists in triumph, celebrating a vital win in the round-robin stage.
Tara Peterson, sister of the skip, admitted the historical weight of the result added to the emotion.
“Apparently, we’ve never beat them in the Olympics before,” she told the Associated Press.
“That makes it just extra special.”
Mothers and medics
This US squad balances elite sporting ambition with professional careers and motherhood.
The lineup features a dentist, a pharmacist, and a lab technician, grounding the team with real-world perspective.
Alongside the Peterson sisters, the team includes Cory Thiesse, who has already secured a silver medal in the mixed doubles event.
The victory moves the United States to a 2-1 record in Italy, having already defeated Korea but fallen to Sweden earlier in the week.