SHARM EL SHEIKH - The joy is all over Dick Jaspers' face after his 2nd World Cup win in 42 days. The Dutchman no longer believed in a year of successes after he lost the No.1 position in the world rankings and was not yet on a World Cup podium in early 2023. The turnaround came exactly 42 days ago with his victory in the Veghel World Cup and this Sunday, in the Sharm El Sheikh World Cup, Jaspers celebrated his second World Cup win for this year. The joy was visible and audible again, after the Dutchman defeated first Turk Tolgahan Kiraz this Saturday and later Korean Jun Tae Kim in the final match in Shar El Sheikh. ’’I didn’t think at all before Veghel and Sharm that my year would still end so well,'' he sounded cheerful as he quietly made his way to his hotel room after the podium ceremony. ’’It looked like a failed year for me, though with a nice tournament win in Korea, but with many World Cups in which it was all a bit less and the successes were lacking. I lost too many important matches by one or a few points, so was my year in 2023 so far. But what an end to this year: first winning in Veghel and now in Sharm El Sheikh. So it all turned out well in the end. I am now the number 1 in the world again, right?''
Sorry, it's not that rosy now, Dick Jaspers, (because Myung Woo Cho remains first in the rankings), but there is the overall prize being the winner of the 2023 World Cup cycle and the position in the rankings has improved: second behind Myung Woo Cho and ahead of Marco Zanetti, Torbjörn Blomdahl and Eddy Merckx.
’’I am on top again after having to swallow some deceptions this year,'' Jaspers confessed. The top prizes were missing for a while, but was there so much reason for doubt? ’’Oh well, I did, says Dick Jaspers. ’’We are the generation that came after Ceulemans and Dielis, but know that there are a lot of few youngsters coming up who are going to oust us again.''
But two World Cup wins in 42 days on, that young generation may be led by Myung Woo Cho, but the little Korean is followed by Jaspers, Zanetti, Blomdahl and Merckx, indeed the generation that is far from giving up.
Dick Jaspers was an excellent winner again in Sharm El Sheikh with 2.130 average, in his fourth final in Egypt for some years. He played the best average of all participants. With 4,000 as the best match average (40 in 10 innings), also the best of all. With a highest run of 15 in the semi-finals and with great performances, after losing in his first game against Thanh Luc Tran), but then won against Jung Han Heo (40-22 in 10), Omer Karakurt (40-17 in 15), Haeng Jik Kim (50-25 in 15), Martin Horn (50-41 in 34) and on the final day against Kiraz (50-28 in 16) and Kim (50-35 in 26).
’’Things were a bit more difficult in the final,'' he said on the end of the day. ’’My opponent was strong at the start, I had to fight hard to get into the match afterwards.'' But admittedly, Jaspers said: ''I played very strong against Kiraz, against Martin Horn and against Haeng Jik Kim, with a lot of mental pressure, the ambition to play well here and finally to win here and make up for my disappointing year. I am very, very satisfied.''
He stood there beaming again, Dick Jaspers, on a podium with Jun Tae Kim, who in the semi-finals had stopped Glenn Hofman's advance with 50-47 in 38. With that same Glenn Hofman, so just like the World Cup in Veghel with two Dutchmen on the podium (then Jean Paul de Bruijn, now Glenn Hofman). And with Tolgahan Kiraz, not even a very famous Turk, but what a great runs he showed in Sharm and what a fantastic performance as one of the two revelations in the semi-finals.
Glenn Hofman was a sensational player on that stage, as he had survived all attacks from the early Monday, celebrated victories against Marco Zanetti and Eddy Merckx and was only kept out of the final by Jun Tae Kim by 50-47. Equally sensational was Tolgahan Kiraz, winner against Chang Hoon Seo and a round later against Burak Hashas in the final stage. But what a brilliant tournament also from 17-year-old Burak Hashas, who definitely announced his breakthrough at the world top.
The Sharm El Sheikh podium with Dick Jaspers, Jun Tae Kim, Glenn Hofman and Tolgahan Kiraz
Dick Jaspers shows his joy after winning the World Cup
Dick Jaspers, twee World Cups in 42 dagen
Final ranking World Cup Sharm El Sheikh:
- Dick Jaspers 12-2.130-15
- Jun Tae Kim 11-1.703-11
- Tolgahan Kiraz 9 1.893-16
- Glenn Hofman 8-1.463-14
- Eddy Merckx 8-1.610-8
- Martin Horn 1.598-14
- Phuong Vinh Bao 6-1.516-9
- Burak Hashas 6-1.394-9
- Daniel Morales 6-1.389-8
- Thanh Luc Tran 6-1.333-7
- Chang Hoon Seo 16
World ranking after Sharm:
- Myung Woo Cho 417
- Dick Jaspers 374
- Marco Zanetti 339
- Torbjörn Blomdahl 320
- Eddy Merckx 319
- Quyet Chien Tran 319
- Sameh Sidhom 274
- Phuong Vinh Bao 267
- Haeng Jik Kim 266
- Martin Horn 252
- Tayfun Tasdemir 251
- Jun Tae Kim 243.