Higashiuchi, a world champion from Paris

TOKYO - On the final day of the World Championship for ladies in Tokyo, four Japanese ladies where at the billiards to battle for the title. The winner, Natsumi Higashiuchi, has a French background. She was born in Paris, has lived there for eighteen years, then moved to Tokyo, where she has become a professional billiard player.

,,When I had left Paris, where I lived with my parents, I have studied for one year in Korea and now I'm living for twelve years in Tokyo,'' the 30-year-old world champion explained after the ceremony. She was very surprised by the showdown with four Japanese ladies in the semifinals. ,,We never had expected such a success for Japan.''

Natsumi Higashiuchi has a boyfriend and is about to start in a new job. ,, But because I had no job, I had lots of time to prepare well for this World Championship.'' She concluded: ,,I thought Orie Hida or Therese Klompenhouwer would take the title. They were the big favorites.'' And about the Europeans: ,,Maybe it was the long trip to Japan, ore the pressure in such a great tournament.''

The new champion had, like the other fifteen players at this Worlds, nog a shining start. The billiards in the playing room of Kasumi Plaza Hall in Tokyo were not that easy, the level was very low.

The Japanese players could finaly adapt, where two Dutch favorites, Therese Klompenhouwer and Karina Jetten, perished in the quarterfinals.
 
Yuko Nishimoto (who defeated Klompenhouwer), Natsumi Higashiuchi (who eliminated Jetten), Namiko Hayashi and Ayaka Fukomoto succeeded to advance for the final four. In the semifinal Nishimoto showed up as big favorite: she beat Namiko Hayashi with staggering numbers: 25-3 in 23 innings.
 
Natsumi Higashiuchi, who only lost in the preliminaries against Su Ah Park (25-22 in 44), took the win in the other semi against Ayako Fukumoto 25-16 in 35 innings. And in the final the French born was unstoppable on her way to gold: 25-15 in 19. The final match was the best of the tournament.