GURI - The Junior world championship in Guri (Korea) has been launched with a false start. The two Colombians for the field, David Steven Mogollon and Andreas Camilo Sarmiento did not show up due to problems with the Colombian federation. Two Koreans, Tae-Kwan Kim and Hae Chang Jung were appealed to replace the Colombians and complete the field of sixteen players. The UMB delegate in Guri, Farouk Barki, did not make a statement about the non-appearance of the Colombians. Manuel Lindao from Ecuador, the third South American, did arrive and already played his first match.
The Frenchman Adrien Tachoire, who defends his world title in Guri, had an unfortunate start of the championship. On his long way from Paris to Korea Tachoire lost his luggage with his clothes, contact lenses and cue in it. ,,We checked it at the airport in Seoul and Charles de Gaulle in Paris, but they haven't found anything until now'', Tachoire said at the start of the tournament.
The Frenchman playes with a cue and in billiards clothes he received from Kimchi. ,,I am very grateful for these people.'' Tachoire also played his first match with glasses instead of contact lenses. He had a pretty good start however against Patrick Bútora from Austria: a win with 25-13 in 27 innings, averaging 0.925. In the group stage, the reigning champion will meet Mahmoud Ayman from Egypt and Arda Gungor from Turkey in his next matches.
The not-appearance of Colombians made two groups even more tough: one with Myungwoo Cho, Berkay Karakurt, Tae-Kwan Kim and Geoffrey Dresselaerts who will meet in a group of death. The D-group has also been strengthened with Tae-Kwan Kim as the substitute for Mogollon. Hae Chang Jung is in the same group as Yusuke Mori and Jun Tae Kim.
Four of the five Koreans faced each other in the first roundes. Tae-Kwan Kim surprised the main contender for the title, Myungwoo Cho with a finish in 23 innings. Cho had to score twice in the equalizer, took a long timeout for the second showed his high class by bringing the match to 25-25 in 23 innings.
Hae-Chang Kim did not succeed to equalize the match against Jun Tae Kim with three. He was missing after the break-off at 25-23.
The European champion Berkay Karakurt had a nice warm-up, ran away to 21-11 after 21 innings against Belgian Geoffrey Dresselaerts and finished 25-18 after 33.
The highlight of the first session was Jung-Ju Shin's opening run with eleven in the match against Manuel Lindao which he won 25-23 in 18 innings!! Lindao ran six in the equalizer. Jung-Ju Shin was not even the best starter in the first round. Japanese Yusuke Mori, the son of a former Japanese champion, won his first match against the Spaniard Jesus Rico 25-14 in 17
The five young Korean players for the championship in Guri
The new group format without the Colombians:
Group A:
Adrien Tachoire
Mahmoud Ayman
Arda Gungor
Patrick Butora
Group B:
Berkay Karakurt
Myungwoo Cho
Tae-Kwan Kim
Geoffrey Dresselaerts
Group C:
Manuel Lindao
Matthieu Franck
Joao Ferreira
Jung Ju Shin
Group D:
Yusuke Mori
Hae Chang Jung
Jesus Rico
Jun Tae Kim.
The ceremony at the start with Mr. Farouk Barki and the Asian delegates
