Lee Stephens claimed the European individual heyball title after defeating home representative Radosław Babica 6–5 in an extraordinarily dramatic final. In the women’s competition, Germany’s Melanie Bakhtaoui-Suessenguth secured the gold medal.
The opening ceremony of the European Heyball Championships, held in Poland, took place on Saturday, while the players began their matches on Sunday. After several days of competition, the semi-finalists had been determined and returned to the tables on Tuesday for the decisive stage of the tournament, with the European titles at stake.
Starting with the men’s category, Lee Stephens comfortably defeated Croatia’s Filip Bermanec 7–2 in the first semi-final. In the second, Radosław Babica overcame Germany’s Yuma Dörner 5–2.
That set up the gold-medal match between Babica and Stephens. The atmosphere was heightened by a full crowd in the specially prepared stands at the Grand Hotel Kielce, located in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship.
The Polish representative quickly took the lead, which eventually grew to 5–1. At that point, the British player called a timeout, after which his game changed completely. Stephens went on the offensive, made good breaks and cleared the tables efficiently to level the match at 5–5.
With no time remaining for another rack, both players knew that the one being played would decide the title. Babica came extremely close to completing a difficult run out, and had he potted the 8-ball, he would have become European champion. However, the ball remained on the table after the shot.
Stephens then stepped up, with the added pressure of having just over 40 seconds to pot all of his remaining balls. Despite the enormous pressure, the British player completed the clearance, defeated Babica 6–5 and secured the gold medal.
“It was an incredible final. I did not really feel the pressure at the end because there was no time to think about it. I remember having around 22 seconds left with four balls still on the table. Luckily, I had a good position for each of them. And literally aims and shoots. This title means everything to me. A year ago, I decided to step away from snooker, which I had played all my life for 30 years, and put everything into heyball. This trophy is proof of all the hard work I’ve put in and shows that I’m heading in the right direction,” said Stephens.
The bronze medals in the men’s tournament were won by Yuma Dörner of Germany and Filip Bermanec of Croatia.
Melanie Bakhtaoui-Suessenguth triumphs in the women’s tournament
The women’s competition produced just as much excitement. Melanie Bakhtaoui-Suessenguth became European champion after defeating Belgium’s Anja Vandenbussche 4–3 in the final.
The German player had to show great resilience throughout the knockout stage. She defeated Poland’s Monika Ząbek 5–4 in the quarter-finals before overcoming France’s Ophélie Laval 4–3 in the semi-finals. The final against Anja Vandenbussche was also decided by the narrowest of margins, underlining just how evenly matched the battle for the women’s title had been.
“I still cannot believe this success. I put so much effort into making my dreams come true. I felt a lot of pressure during the final, but I tried not to think about it and instead focused on each shot, especially because I have lost too many finals in my life. It could not happen again. I would especially like to thank my sister, who is currently taking care of my 22-month-old son. Her support motivated me even more to achieve something special in Poland — and that is exactly what happened,” Melanie emphasised.
The bronze medals in the women’s category were won by Dalia Alska of Poland and Ophélie Laval of France.
Individual tournament podiums
Men
1. Lee Stephens – Great Britain
2. Radosław Babica – Poland
3. Yuma Dörner – Germany
3. Filip Bermanec – Croatia
Women
1. Melanie Bakhtaoui-Suessenguth – Germany
2. Anja Vandenbussche – Belgium
3. Dalia Alska – Poland
3. Ophélie Laval – France
Following the finals, an official medal ceremony was held for the leading men and women. The medals were presented by Grzegorz Kędzierski, President of the Polish Billiards Association, and Gino de Router, Board Member of the European Pocket Billiard Federation.
The individual championships have concluded, but the competition in Kielce continues. The finals of the women’s and men’s European Team Championships will be played on Wednesday. The European Heyball Open will also begin at the Grand Hotel Kielce on the same day, opening the next chapter of the international competition.
Sponsors and partners
The sponsors and partners of the Championships are:
JOY from China, the European Pocket Billiard Federation, the Polish Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the Marshal’s Office of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, FORTIS Bilard Kielce, Aramith from Belgium, LiberWin from China, DynaSpheres, Targi Kielce and Grand Hotel.
The event is held under the honorary patronage of Renata Janik, Marshal of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, and Jakub Rutnicki, Minister of Sport and Tourism.
Media partners
TVP3 Kielce, Sportklub Polska, TVSPORTS.PL, Radio Kielce, Echo Dnia, Telewizja Świętokrzyska, Radio EM, Radio Fama, Radio ESKA 2, CKsport.pl, W Kielcach, Allison Chang, AZBilliards, 77 Billiard, WPA Live and On Cue Podcast.