AFTER AN EPIC day’s play at the PREDATOR EPBF European Pool Championships, it was Sweden and Germany who took the straight pool gold medals as firstly Linna Hjalmarstrom defeated Ina Kaplan and then Stefan Kasper got the better of Yuma Dorner. Played out at the well-appointed Resort Hotel in Antalya, it was the first set of finals at this year’s ECs.
With first matches breaking off at 9.00 this morning it was as much a test of stamina, and it was the good-natured German star Kasper’s second European Championship gold after triumphing in the 8-ball last year in Estonia. The German squad was in the enviable position of filling all four semi-final spots, which gave their quest to top the overall medal table the best possible start.
After prevailing 125-34 against countryman Dorner, Kasper said, “I’m very happy to win this tournament. I never liked straight pool - like 8-ball last year – and now I’m European Champion, so I can’t complain! At the beginning of the tournament the jetlag definitely affected me and today I’m very tired but last night was the first night I slept OK so not a problem. I tried to be calm and try my best and if that was enough in the end then good, and if not it’s not the end of the world, but it worked out pretty good.”
Bronze medallists in the men’s division were last year’s champions Tobias Bongers (GER) and Luca Menn (GER).
Sweden’s Hjalmarstrom claimed her first ever European Championship gold medal in the women’s division as she dug deep to overturn a 20-point deficit and defeat Ina Kaplan (GER) by 75-54. The Swedish girl had claimed a host of European Championship gold medals as a junior and now her career in the adult ranks is starting to take shape.
She said, “I’ve been practising a lot of straight pool preparing for this tournament; I find it the best training form, and I really hoped and believed that I could win but to do it is another thing and I’m so proud and happy. It means a lot. I work hard and really strive to make this my living and this really proves that hard work gets results and I’m really excited to keep it going.
“At first, I was too happy just to be in the final but I thought about all the people at home watching me and all the hours I’d put in and I just thought I had to give myself a chance and I have to play my game until the very last ball drops. I never gave up and straight pool is a game that anyone can win from any place in the match.
“I’ve imagined that final ball a thousand times through visualisation so It was like a dream come true really. I couldn’t believe it and it still feels like a dream,” she added.
The women’s bronze medal winners were Lena Primus of Austria and Ukraine’s Daria Siranchuk.
With 14.1 now concluded, the Predator EPBF European Pool Championships focus on 10-ball as the men’s and women’s tournaments get under way at 9.00 and 12.30 respectively on Monday. There are 122 runners in the men’s event while the women number 53.
Tables 1, 2 and 3 at the Predator European Championships will be streamed throughout on YouTube, via the Pro Billiard TV channel - https://www.youtube.com/@ProBilliardTV
In addition, competing players are permitted to stream their own matches on outside tables to their public social media accounts.
For all results, live scoring and draw, visit www.epbf.com/tournaments/european-championships/
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