LA BAULE - Two years after his last major win, Torbjörn Blomdahl was once again on the highest podium this Sunday in La Baule. the 55-year old Swede won the World Cup in La Baule, in a final against Belgian Frédéric Caudron (40-25 in 17 innings). His response after the final point: sheer joy and excitement, fists in the air, a smile from ear to ear and shortly thereafter, a hug with his son Yannick in the stands. Torbjörn Blomdahl, having won the hearts of the spectators, judging by the long ovation, is back with yet another World Cup triumph. It was, for Mister World Cup, the 44th in his career.
His last was in the summer of 2015, in Porto. Later that year, he also won the world title in Bordeaux, his fifth. This Sunday afternoon, he crowned a perfect week with the title, and stood in the spotlights again. But was he ever gone? ,,It is not easy these days, to win world titles or other major tournaments'', he said after the ceremony in the French beach town. The final match, a classic between two world stars of 3-cushion, did not as close as the connoisseurs had predicted.
Torbjörn Blomdahl, every time when he entered the arena announced by the speaker, Kurt Ceulemans, as the Swedish hurricane, stayed on the level he had played on all week, and Frédéric Caudron could not keep up. The Belgian did take off with a 7 and had a lead (10-9 in 3). But it would be the last moment he had his nose in front. Blomdahl took matter sin his own hands, with steady small runs (5, 5, 6, 6 and 4), and Caudron could not counter. ,,I was a bit more fortunate with my positions. Caudron was not regularly rewarded'', said Blomdahl, analyzing the match. From 28-17 in the 10th inning he made the gap that proved decisive, and it led to the 40-26 in 17 conclusion.
The European final in La Baule was preceded by Blomdahl's victory against Vietnamese Xuan Cuong Ma (40-32 in 30) and Caudron's win over Korean Myung-Woo Cho (40-34 in 21). Torbjörn Blomdahl, five world titles, 44 World Cup wins, will climb to the 4th position on the ranking. The top 5 now consists of Dani Sánchez, Haeng-Jik Kim, Dick Jaspers, Torbjörn Blomdahl and Marco Zanetti.
Before the final, Blomdahl shed some light on his future. ,,My eyes and hands don't function as well as they used to. I'll have to wait and see how that develops.'' The Swede was also aware of the stories that went around in La Baule about the new developments in international three cushion: drastically higher prize money, more tournaments, maybe even more World Cups. But that future perspective is far from written in stone. Torbjörn Blomdahl:
,,I hope that when I retire in a few years, the billiard world is in better shape. That i twill be more exciting, with more prize money and better conditions for the players. It would make me content, and I could say: things have changed for the better when I stil was playing. I hope young Myung-Woo Cho can tell his friends in the coming years, that billiards is a beautiful sport in which you can make a lot of money in. I believe we should stay on the course we are now on, with improvements where they are needed. We must stick together, with these players. The big money and the exposure come mostly from Korea now. But who knows, maybe soon Vietnam and China will play their part, in the same way they have breathed new life into snooker.''
,,I have full confidence in Farouk Barki, the UMB president'', says Blomdahl. ,,We must not get ourselves into a situation like the one we once had, with the BWA. If millions indeed get injected into the sport, they should not go to only a few top players, and others can't share. I honestly hope, for the coming months, that smart people will present us with good initiatives for the future.''
During the closing ceremony, UMB-president Farouk Barki indicated that his organization is lobbying for billiards as an Olympic sport, on the road to Paris 2024.
Joël Switala, the La Baule organizer, announced a third edition of his event in 2018.
The world top is heading for Santa Cruz in Bolivia to play the World championship in seven days.
Torbjörn Blomdahl-Xuan Cuong Ma 40-32 (30).
The head-to head of the two players would make Blomdahl a big favorite. The Swede is on 3 for 3 against Ma. ,,I know how dangerous he is right now, and I will adjust my tactics'', said Blomdahl. The decision came late, it was 16-16 at one point. Ma ran a 7, but Blomdahl kept scoring steady small runs. Blomdahl protected his 34-26 lead, and won 40-32.
Asked about his game plan by Raymond Ceulemans in the stands: ,,I did not play the way I usually do, quick and attacking. My arm did not quite obey me, I was not on top of my game. Ma can be very dangerous when he gets in amongst the balls, so I played more defensively than I normally do. It was rewarded.''
Frédéric Caudron-Myung-Woo Cho 40-34 (21)
The quick start by Caudron signaled what sort of match is would be. After 8 innings, the score board said 24-14 (3.000 average for the Belgian), but then things slowed down. Caudron held on to a 10 point lead, in spite of the Korean's efforts. From 38-27 Cho made a final attempt to escape, and his run of 7 injected new life into the match. Then, in the next inning, he could not follow up. Caudron's final point, a technical subtle shot with maximum spin paved the way for a European final: Caudron-Blomdahl.
Final ranking of the La Baule World Cup:
1)Torbjörn Blomdahl, 2.020, run of 12
2) Frédéric Caudron 1.947-15
3) Myung-Woo Cho 1.855-12
3) Xuan Cuan Cuong 1.707-8
5) Dong-Koong Kang 1.938-15
6) Quyet Chien Tran 1.750-12
7) Can Capak 1.557-11
8 Dani Sánchez 1.405-7
9) Jean Paul de Bruijn 2.029-9
10) Haeng-Jik Kim 1.975-11
11) Chi Yeon Cho 1.897-9
12) Dick Jaspers 1.704-11
13) Jae-Ho Cho 1.692-7
14) Murat Naci Coklu 1.500-7
15) Sung-Won Choi 1.434-9
16) Birol Uymaz 1.125-10
17) Marco Zanetti 1.761-5
18) Jung-Han Heo 1.520-7
19) Semih Sayginer 1.450-15
20) Sameh Sidhom 1.428-5.
The new world ranking after La Baule:
1 Dani Sánchez 406 punten
2 Haeng-Jik Kim 361
3 Dick Jaspers 350
4 Torbjörn Blomdahl 334
5 Marco Zanetti 299
6 Frédéric Caudron 294
7 Murat Naci Coklu 283
8 Nikos Polychronopoulos 231
9 Sameh Sidhom 230
10 Nguyen Quoc Nguyen 219
11 Eddy Merckx 212
12 Jae-Ho Cho 209
13 Jung-Han Heo 206
14 Sung-Won Choi 187
15 Quyet Chien Tran 175
16 Eddy Leppens 164
17 Semih Sayginer 161
18 Tayfun Tasdemir 161
19 Dong-Koong Kang 160
20 Jérémy Bury 120.
Xuan Cuong Ma and Torbjörn Blomdahl, starting their match for the semi finals
