VIERSEN – The world title in three-cushion for national teams has once again gone to Vietnam. The Asian nation, which has become a global powerhouse in billiards, defeated the host nation Germany 4-0 in the two final matches on Sunday evening. The victory confirms the supremacy Vietnam has shown in recent years. Their first gold at this Worlds came in 2024, last year, Vietnam was defeated in the final by the Netherlands, this year marked the second gold in three years. On the podium were Vietnam as the winners, Germany as runners-up with silver, and Sweden and Colombia in third place with bronze medals. The winners for Vietnam were Quyet Chien Tran and Tran Thanh Tu Nguyen.
The German home crowd, not spoiled by major successes after their last victory in 2002, cheered and applauded Martin Horn and Amir Ibraimov, who defeated Colombia in a spectacular match in the semifinals. The 18-year-old Amir Ibraimov, an absolute top talent, pulled the Germans through that match. The confidence grew in the lead-up to the final, because also Martin Horn made a strong impression throughout the entire tournament.
The final turned into a magnificent battle, with Quyet Chien Tran finally claiming victory against Horn with a run of 11, after Horn had restored the tension earlier with 12. The German leader then extended his lead with 6 and 3 to 26-20, but Tran had a superior final sprint with 6, 3, and 11 to a final score 40-30 in 17. The lifeline then remained in the hands of Amir Ibraimov, a star among the juniors, who only turned 18 last week and had already been substituted before for Martin Horn at this World Championship in his home country. This year, Ibraimov was the second man on the German team and demonstrated his considerable talent.
The tournament's climax, however, was just a bridge too far for Ibraimov. After Horn lost his match against Tran, the young German chased TTT Nguyen with runs of 6, 5, and 5, but it wasn't enough to threaten the second Vietnamese player. Nguyen, who scored more consistently in the match but couldn't manage a run higher than 6, briefly came under threat when Ibraimov first made 7 and 6 in the halfway point. The Vietnamese victory was briefly elusive due to three missed match points. The winning point came in the 28th inning. Ibraimov closed the gap somewhat with a 5, and another 5 in the equalizer, to bring the score to 40-38, but the decision had already been made when TTT Nguyen made his 40th carom.
The Vietnamese are once again the best in the world. Their winning streak began two years ago with Quyet Chien Tran and Phuong Vinh Bao. That same pair finished second behind the Netherlands last year. And now the Vietnamese team won again with Quyet Chien Tran, but this year with TTT Nguyen as the second man.
Also there was plenty of tension leading up to the two finalist in the semifinals between Vietnam and Sweden and between Germany and Colombia.
Quyet Chien Tran and Torbjörn Blomdahl were evenly matched for a long time. Tran was the first to reach 40, after which Blomdahl scored six more in the equalizer. He missed a wonderful long-short-long by a millimeter (40-36 in 19). David Pennör saved the Swedish team by beating Nguyen 40-38 in 29, so the Scotch double was needed to determine the winner. In that match, Vietnam, after an 11-1 lead, proved too strong with a 15-7 victory.
The Germans and Colombians made it even more exciting. Martin Horn, the favorite, faced Pedro Gonzalez. The Colombian, however, had a strong final shot with 4, 6, and 3 in his last five innings. Horn was called for a follow-up inning at 40-39, but missed (40-39 in 33). Amir Ibraimov saved the Germans with a win over Cataño. The Colombian started with 5 and 8, Ibraimov with 10. The German missed three match points before making the winning carom at 38-39 in the 29th inning. In the Scotch doubles, the Germans made 4, 1, 0, and 8 for a 13-1 margin and 13-3. After both teams missed 4 innings, Germany scored the winning caroms with two 1-points: 15-7 in 10.
Final World ranking:
1 Vietnam 17-1,610-11
2 Germany 14-1,490-12
3 Sweden 13-1,621-14
3 Colombia 12-1,426-10
5 Turkey 11-1,840-13
6 Netherlands 11-1,718-10
7 Spain 10-1,391-12
8 USA 10-1,364-14
9 Belgium 5-1,427-11
10 France 4-1,485-11
11 Korea 4-1,482-10
12 Jordan 3-0,951-7
The Vietnamese gold winners, Quiet Chien Tran (r) and TTT Nguyen
Quyet Chien Tran, two times on the highest podium in three years
Martin Horn, the leading player for the Germans
Amir Ibraimov, the amazing 18 year talent in the German team
TTT Nguyễn, the winning points