Homan wins record-extending 20th Grand Slam title at KIOTI GSOC Tahoe
Canada’s Rachel Homan achieved a new milestone by winning her record-extending 20th Grand Slam of Curling title after defeating Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni 7–4 in Sunday’s final at the KIOTI GSOC Tahoe event.
This marked the third consecutive Grand Slam women’s final between the world’s two top-ranked teams, with Homan’s squad victorious in each encounter. The Ottawa-based team—featuring skip Rachel Homan, third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, and lead Sarah Wilkes—completed the tournament undefeated with a 7–0 record, earning $42,000 in prize money.
“Yeah, it’s an unbelievable feeling, especially winning a game that was a battle out there for both teams,” Homan said. “It’s just really fun to play such an amazing team, and being able to pull out the win is an awesome feeling.”
The Swiss team of Silvana Tirinzoni, fourth Alina Pätz, second Carole Howald, and lead Selina Witschonke suffered their only defeat of the week in the final but still earned $34,000. Tirinzoni’s team now holds an 18–3 record this Grand Slam season, with all three losses coming against Homan in tournament finals.
In the final, Switzerland held the hammer at the start and aimed to avoid a repeat of last month’s CO-OP Tour Challenge, where an early miss led to a decisive four-point steal by Homan’s side.
Author’s Summary
Rachel Homan continues her dominance in curling, securing her 20th Grand Slam title and extending her unbeaten run over Team Tirinzoni in consecutive final matchups.