The highest stage was for Dani Sánchez and Dick Jaspers, the two players who will be in the spotlights at the Super Cup Gala in Antwerp. The Spaniard topped his year with the world title, the Dutchman took the 2016 World Cup trophy. The year counted seven World Cups, Frédéric Caudron triumphed in two of them. The Europeans were ruling in the World Cup cycle with Caudron, Dick Jaspers, Eddy Merckx, Jérémy Bury and Murat Naci Coklu. The Korean Jung-Han Heo was the glorious winner of the last event in Hurghada.
The 18-year-old Myung-Woo Cho starred in his first big entrance on the world stage. Murat Naci Coklu and Haeng-Jik Kim returned to top twelve and Nikos Polychronopoulos made his come-back among the elite players earlier in the cycle. The World championship in Bordeaux ended with an all-star cast, featuring Dani Sánchez, Haeng-Jik Kim, Eddy Leppens and Semih Saygıner. The global tournament, with full stands in the Palais des Congres, was one of the highlights of the year. Frédéric Caudron, after a brilliant year, missed the World Cup trophy due to a mediocre finish, but remains the proud number one in the world ranking.
Dani Sánchez, the world champion, in his flash back:
,,Billiard in 2016 increased the level again. We saw more high class matches this year from more different players. For me it was a strange year. I performed on a really good level, but I was out in four World Cups in the first rounds playing around 2 average without winning. Then I played the semi-final in Porto, the final in La Baule, won the World championship and the Lausanne Masters. I played the same level all year, but only at the end I could win my matches.''
,,The two greatest moments? First, Frédéric Caudron's double World Cup win. For a long time nobody could do this and it is really difficult to do it now. Second, my semi-final match against Eddy Leppens at the World championship. He missed his match ball and I finished with eight.''
,,The players that surprised me the most are Quyet Chien Tran, who had a fantastic year and Nikos Polychronopoulos. He was very strong in all World Cups and leagues.''
,,My wish for 2017 is that billiard in general will increase the level in organizations and that our sport will be more often on tv. And private I want to continue enjoying the game and keep on playing this high level.''
The overview of the most important events in 2016 in order of appearance:
January 16:
At the UMB congress in Cairo, Farouk Barki is elected with a huge majority as the new president in the new UMB board for the next two years.
February 7:
Dick Jaspers fires up the year and takes the first World Cup in Bursa. The Dutchman defeats Frédéric Caudron in the so called derby of the lowlands, 40-34 in the final in 19 innings. ,,I'm happy with this win, because that means I firmly remain in the top world's top three. My main goal is to shine on the highest world stage. And of course I'm happy to win a final against Caudron.''
Jaspers finishes with a 2.352 average, Caudron 2.063, Merckx in 2.260.
February 21:
A magical world title for the Dutch team with Dick Jaspers and Jean van Erp in Viersen. The silver at the World championship for national teams goes to Turkey, the Belgians, with the royal couple Caudron/Merckx, are dethroned after a four year hegemony. Jean van Erp, going with the flow, defeats Lütfi Cenet in the final, Dick Jaspers is the better of Semih Saygıner. The Scotch Double system, which is used for the knockout phase, is a huge success. The tournament starts off with 24 teams of two players and has no shortage of highlights. The Dutch winners finish with 1.675 average.
March 6:
Torbjörn Blomdahl gets the show on the road and is the big star at the Super Cup gala in Antwerp. The Swede, reigning world and European champion, takes it all this evening. He is crowned as undisputed best player of 2015 at the Hilton hotel. ,,My best year ever in results'', Blomdahl says after being rewarded by two checks of 5000 euros.
Blomdahl also defeats Sánchez, the World Cup winner, in the battle for the Super Cup 4-1. Blomdahl is the number one player in the election Player of the Year with 118 votes, Dani Sánchez 107 and Tayfun Tasdemir 57.
March 31:
Bennie Deegens is nominated as the new President of the European billiards federation. He will fulfil the function at least until the CEB congress in June 2017. The Dutchman is the successor to Wolfgang Ritmann, who passed awayin 2015.
April 2:
The 47-year old Eddy Merckx is the stunning winner in the Luxor on the Nile World Cup, beating Jérémy Bury in the final: 40-30 in 23 innings. Many reputations fall to pieces in the first rounds: Torbjörn Blomdahl, Dick Jaspers and Dani Sánchez are out before the serious business starts. Other sup top players enter the spotlights. The return of Jérémy Bury to the world's best is marked by a place in the final.
April 22:
The UMB and Kozoom reach an exclusive, worldwide agreement for media rights. The contract starts on May 1, 2016 and runs out in December 31, 2019. Farouk Barki: ,, This agreement marks a new era of ambitious UMB event broadcasting, that will contribute to the professional promotion of our sports.''
May 22:
Frédéric Caudron triumphs in the World Cup in Ho Chi Minh and is the new number one in the world ranking. The Belgian is at his brilliant best beating Dick Jaspers in the final 40-20 in 17 innings. The public hero is Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, a 34-year-old Vietnamese stealing the hearts of the home crowd. Nikos Polychronopoulos produces the highlight in the tournament. He outsprints Dani Sánchez with a closing run of 22.
July 24:
Frédéric Caudron wins his second World Cup in a row. The Belgian powers to victory in Porto, where he is the better of Nikos Polychronopoulos in the final 40-25 in 16 innings. The supremacy on the final day is impressive: Caudron flies on high wings in the semi-finals where he beats Dani Sánchez 40-23 in 12 innings. Dick Jaspers and Frédéric Caudron play matches in 11 innings.
August 7:
Jérémy Bury starts his period of glory with a victory in the Verhoeven Open in New York where he beats Dick Jaspers in the final: 40-32 in 16 innings. The Frenchman takes his first major victory in his career and shines in the final days by wins over Caudron, Merckx, Sayginer and Jaspers. Haeng-Jik Kim is one of the stars with a match against Torbjörn Blomdahl, 40-35 in 9 innings. Tayfun Tasdemir shows a sparkling form with runs of 19 and 17, Semih Saygıner records 18. The tournament at the Carom Cafe is a star parade with brilliant matches and high runs by Frédéric Caudron, Haeng-Jik Kim, Tayfun Tasdemir, Semih Saygıner and the two finalists Bury and Jaspers. Martin Horn returns to the world stage and shows his high class with a fifth place. Raymond Ceulemans (79) is the highly respected legend for the audience in the Carom Cafe. To watch the master in New York, where he fought many heroic battles, was rewarded by a huge applause.
August 27:
Therese Klompenhouwer is crowned ladies world champion for the second time in a row. In Guri, Korea, prior to the World Cup, the 33-jear old Dutch is the best in an exciting final in which she bests twelve years younger Mee Rae Lee. The final lacks a high quality, but makes up for it in tension, all the way to draw at the end. The shoot-out gives Klompenhouwer the most coveted title in ladies billiards. The tournament is dominated by Asian players on the final day, with six Koreans and one Japanese to reach the knockout with eight players.
September 4:
The world turns upside down for Jérémy Bury: the Frenchman battles his way to his second majestic win in a row in Guri where he beats Vietnames Quyet Chien Tran in the match for gold: 40-30 in 20. A new pearl in the crown of the player who withstood the invasion of Koreans and Vietnamese players. Bury, after his victory in the cauldron of the Gury gymnasium, is back in the world's top ten. A thousand spectators are cheering the young Korean hero Myung Woo Cho, the wonderboy who beats former world champion Sung-Won Choi and then is defeated by Bury in the semi-finals.
The tournament in the Korean billiard enclave, with so many thousands of clubs in and around Seoul, shows the world how popular this sports is in this new three cushion stronghold.
30 October:
Murat Naci Coklu makes his come-back in the world top with his victory in the World Cup in La Baule. The Europeans dominate the final stage of the tournament in the French seaside town near the Atlantic Ocean. The road to success for 42-year old Turk from Istanbul is open after he beats Asian champion Haeng-Jik Kim, then sees off Javier Teran, French home player Jérôme Barbeillon in the quarter final and Marco Zanetti and Dani Sánchez in his last two matches. The wildcard holder Barbeillon entertains the audience as one of the stars in his own country. The Vietnamese Xuan Cuong Ma records the best match of the tournament against Frédéric Caudron 40-19 in 11 innings.
November 11:
The Korean Choong-Bok Lee grabs the big money (nearly 60.000 euros) in the LG U-Plus Cup in Seoul by winning the final vs Quyet Chien Tran 40-35 in 36 innings. The world stars are eliminated in the preliminary stages and have to watch from the stands.
November 19:
Dani Sánchez puts a golden crown on a spectacular World championship in Bordeaux and finds a new high in his career. The young Korean Haeng-Jik Kim is his opponent in the final. The Spaniard glitters in the crowded Palais des Congres, escapes in his semi-final match against Eddy Leppens (final run of 8) and grabs his fourth world title. The final score: 40-37 in 19 innings. Dani Sánchez is the 69th world champion in the history of three cushion. The Spaniard climbs to third place in the world. The second World championship in two years in the French wine city brings in thousands of spectators, lots of sponsors, federations from many countries and an enthusiastic atmosphere in the crowd.
The podium is completed by Semih Saygıner and Eddy Leppens, two players who are not among the favourites at the start.
December 4: Dani Sánchez puts his name on another big trophy. The Spanish world champion is the best in the Lausanne Billard Masters after wins over Dong-Koong Kang in the semi-final (40-38 in 18) and Frédéric Caudron in the final 40-36 in 18. Joining the Spaniard and the Belgian on the podium are Marco Zanetti and Dong-Koong Kang. The Korean records the best match against Jérémy Bury 40-10 in 11/11 innings.
December 10:
The 18-year-Myung Woo Cho is the new junior world champion and reveals himself as the champion for the future. On stage in the Egyptian resort of El Gouna are three Koreans and the Spaniard Andres Carrion. Myung-Woo Cho, Jung-Ju Shin and Jiseung Han are the champions of long practice: six to ten hours per day. The Korean invasion in youth continues in an impressive performance.
December 17:
Jung-Han Heo celebrates his breakthrough in the World Cup circuit. The 39-year-old Korean jumps to win in his first major tournament by defeating Dick Jaspers in the final 40-29 in 19 innings. Martin Horn is back in a World Cup and makes a huge impression. The German finishes in third place, together with the Vietnamese Quyet Chien Tran. Dick Jaspers is the 2016 World Cup winner thanks to his place on the podium. Frédéric Caudron remains the leader of the world ranking, followed by Dick Jaspers, Dani Sánchez, Torbjörn Blomdahl and Marco Zanetti.
Best matches in the World Cup cycle:
Dick Jaspers, Jun Oh Tae: 5.000 average
Best run: Nikos Polychronopoulos 22.