LOMMEL - Roland Forthomme had predicted it before the start: look out for the young players in this tournament, the 30-year-old Frédéric Mottet for instance, who might be a surprise. The title holder was right: Mottet was the sensation in the final round of the evening in Group A.
The two Walloons, who do'n live so far from each others, duelled in the final session: Roland Forthomme has seeded already with two comfortable wins, Frédéric Mottet could only qualify with a win against Forthomme.
The former European junior champion from Sprimont, just next to Remouchamps (the birthplace of famous cyclist Philippe Gilbert), surprised with a magnificent sprint. Forthomme led with a score of 34-31 when Mottet broke away with a run of eight, which brought him on one point of the finish. The next inning Mottet grabbed victory: 40-36 in 20 innings.
The players at the other table, Peter de Backer and Wesley de Jaeger, knew that they were eliminated when Mottet finished his match. De Backer, one of the main players in recent years in this Superprestige, played a poor tournament. He also lost his last match against De Jaeger: 40-35 in 44 innings.
Tomorrow are the matches in Group B with Eddy Merckx, Kurt Ceulemans, Steven Van Acker and Martin Spoormans.