22nd July 2025
THE LAST OF the individual gold medals were won this afternoon at the PREDATOR EUROPEAN Youth Pool Championships, as Sweden and Lithuania added to their respective hauls, whilst Portugal took their first medal of the championships.
In the Under 19s, breakout star, Jokubas Silantjevas defeated Seymen Atila of Austria 8-1, while in the Under 17s, it was Ruben Gomes of Portugal who claimed the trophy with a 7-1 defeat of Wiktor Kaczmarek (Poland). Finally, Linnea Hjalmarstrom of Sweden was victorious once again with a 6-3 win over Poland’s Julia Babica.
Jokubas Silantjevas capped off a wonderful week, taking his second gold medal to add to silver and bronze with a string of performances that cemented his position as the king of the Under 19’s. Golds in 9-ball and 10-ball, silver in 14.1 and a bronze in 8-ball as well as two trophies will all be making their way into Jokubas’s suitcase and he will enjoy a well-deserved celebration when he returns home.
He said, “It will be tough, I will need a new suitcase for the trophies. They’re so big and I don’t know where to put them! I’m really happy with my game and as I mentioned before I’ve never touched a medal, I was always losing in the quarter-finals.
“This championships, though, has been amazing as I managed to get all medals so I’m really happy for myself. I’m really proud as the work I put in in practice finally paid off which is the best thing that can happen to a pool player. I can’t wait to get home!” he added.
In the Under 17’s it was Ruben Gomes’s day as he staved off any pressure to run out a comfortable 7-1 winner and earn his first-ever European Championship medal. Skipping the opening 14.1 and 10-ball tournaments, he narrowly missed out on an 8-ball medal but saved his best to last as he went undefeated through the 9-ball tournament to claim the title.
Commented Ruben, “I don’t know how it feels yet, I’m just enjoying the moment and I’m happy with myself and my work through all of this year is paying off. I felt a bit sad after my loss in the 8-ball as I felt could have done more but in 9-ball I showed them and I’m very happy.
“There was a lot of pressure in this match, with a lot of people watching, and at the last 9-ball I was very nervous. The game wasn’t easy as it was a final. I’ll be celebrating today – I don’t know how yet, but in Portugal I will celebrate a lot!” he concluded.
Linnea Hjalmarstrom (Sweden) claimed her second gold, and third medal overall as she held off Julia Babica in the 9-ball final. The Polish girl stayed in the match at 3-3 but Linnea is a reliable closer and she took the next three racks to take the victory.
She said, “The final wasn’t my best match but I held my nerves when I needed to so I’m proud of that and my game felt good. It was a very mental match, to win the 9-ball after losing the 8-ball, so I’m very proud of my mental game and how I’ve played all week; I really gave it my all.
“I’ll have a celebration with family and friends and relax a bit. Just one day at home and then I’m off to Germany to play in women’s pool festival. Not much rest but I’m just looking forward to playing more.”
The Predator European Youth Pool Championships is in its 44th year and is presented by the European Pocket Billiard Federation.
Streaming of Tables 1 and 2 for the duration of the Predator European Youth Championships can be found on YouTube, via the Pro Billiard TV channel - https://www.youtube.com/@ProBilliardTV
For all results, live scoring and draw, visit www.epbf.com/tournaments/european-championships/
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From Official press realease