US Women's Curling Team Beats Canada for First Time at Olympics

American curlers surprised to learn of historic victory over powerhouse Canadian team.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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The U.S. women's curling team defeated the Canadian team skipped by Rachel Homan in a nail-biting 9-8 match at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This marks the first time the U.S. has beaten Canada in women's curling at the Olympics since the sport was introduced in 1998. The American team, which includes several working mothers, was surprised to learn from reporters that they had achieved this historic feat.

Why it matters

Canada's women's curling team has long been considered the best in the world, making the U.S. victory over them at the Olympics a significant accomplishment. This result could shift the balance of power in women's curling and inspire the young, working-class American team to aim even higher.

The details

In Friday's match, the U.S. team was able to capitalize on some uncharacteristic mistakes by the Canadian squad to clinch the 9-8 victory. The American curlers, including skip Tabitha Peterson, her sister Tara, and Cory Thiesse, have day jobs outside of curling and are also mothers to young children.

  • The U.S. women's curling team defeated Canada on Friday, February 13, 2026.
  • Women's curling has been an Olympic sport since 1998.

The players

Tabitha Peterson

The skip of the U.S. women's curling team, who is also a pharmacist.

Tara Peterson

Tabitha's younger sister on the U.S. women's curling team, who is also a dentist.

Cory Thiesse

A member of the U.S. women's curling team who is also a lab technician, and has already won a silver medal in mixed doubles.

Rachel Homan

The skip of the Canadian women's curling team, which has long been considered the best in the world.

Taylor Anderson-Heide

A member of the U.S. women's curling team from Minneapolis.

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What they’re saying

“If that's true, I think we just played a really good game. They're No. 1 in the world.”

— Taylor Anderson-Heide (AP)

“It just always feels really good to beat (Canada skip) Rachel Homan. So any team to beat them, that's pretty impressive.”

— Tara Peterson (AP)

“Apparently, we've never beat them in the Olympics before. That makes it just extra special.”

— Tara Peterson (AP)

What’s next

The U.S. women's curling team has several matches left in the round-robin before the semifinals on Friday. They'll look to build on their historic victory over Canada as they aim to advance further in the tournament.

The takeaway

The surprise victory by the U.S. women's curling team over the powerhouse Canadian squad shows that the young, working-class American team has the talent and determination to compete with the best in the world. This result could inspire a new generation of curlers in the U.S. and shift the balance of power in the sport.