3-Cushion
SLUISKIL - What the difference is between the Korean billiard player Myung Woo Cho (16) and the Dutch champion Jordy de Kruijf (20)? It was not only shown on the scoreboard after the Saturday match at the Junior world championship: 25-12 in 17. But it's much more the story of how the two players practice and prepare for a career in billiards. Myung Woo Cho told us, with Jessica Caudron as a Korean interpreter, that he doesn't only spend four hours of study every day, but also nine hours (!) of practicing at the billiard table: every day in the week.
He started to play billiards on his eighth year in his father's billiard center and already played averages over 1.000 when he was twelve. The small Korean can be seen as one of the future top players from his country, following the Kim's, the Choi's, the Cho's, the Kang's, the Lee's and the Heo's, like his 19-year-old countryman Jun Tae Kim (university, six hours training per day) is one of the great talents for the future.
When we compare it with the Jordy de Kruijf or the two Belgians at this World Cup in Sluiskil? The Dutchman, from Hoogeveen, has a fourty-hours-per-week job and has little time to train. ,,I play my league matches and I only have a few hours per week to practice.'' He wants to train more, but then should give up a part of his work. That makes it almost impossible to win for them against the Koreans at this World championship. De Kruijf and Cho were in balance until 8-8 in their match, after the Korean attacked with a run of eight and then decided the match.
The Belgians Andy de Bondt and Wesley van Apers couldn't stop laughing when they heard about the training discipline of the Koreans. ,,I train four times in a month'', confessed Van Apers. De Bondt plays five games per week and can practice a few hours.
The preliminary rounds at the World championship were completed in the last qualification with a sensational match: the Frenchman Adrien Tachoire, who started with a loss against the Turk Berkay Karakurt (25-15), first recovered with a win over Manuel Lindao and finally advanced for the quarter finals vs Japanese Yusuke Mori, who was seen as one of the contenders for the title. Tachoire took a 24-9 lead, but still was in trouble to finish: 25-23 in 28.
Alexis Rouaud and Joao Ferreira placed themselves in Group A, the Frenchman with five match points and 0.937, the Portuguese in a neck-and-neck race with Andy de Bondt, who missed the qualification on one point (25-24).
Myung Woo Cho and Antonio Montes were the numbers one and two with six and four match points in Group B. Berkay KarakKurt remained unbeaten in Group C, after he had to catch up Manuel Lindao. And Adrien Tachoire closed his qualifications with a sensational win over Japanese Mori, whom he beat 25-23.
The final session in the preliminaries was dominated by Juntae Kim, who finished as the leader in Group D. Wesley van Apers and Michael Vink competed for the second place. The Belgian triumphed 25-14 in 22 after he ran away in the second part of the match.
The final group ranks:
Group A:
1 Alexis Rouaud (Fr) 5-0.937-4
2 Joao Ferreira (Pt) 4-1.180-6
3 Andy de Bondt (Bel) 3-0.925-7
4 Carlos Anguita (Sp) 0-0.593-3
Group B:
1 Myung Woo Cho (Kor) 6-1.630-8
2 Antonio Montes (Sp) 4-1.142-7
3 Jefferson Pena (Col) 2-0.785-9
4 Jordy de Kruijf (Neth) 0-0.793-6
Group C:
1 Berkay Karakurt (Tur) 6-1.744-8
2 Adrien Tachoire (Fr) 4-1.250-8
3 Yusuke Mori (Jap) 2-1.214-6
4 Manuel Lindao (Ecu) 0-1.513-6.
Group D:
1 Jun Tae Kim (Kor) 6-1.442-9
2 Wesley van Apers (Bel) 4-0.711-4
3 Michael Vink (Neth) 2-0.598-4
4 Victor Montesdeoca (Ecu) 0-512-4.
The matches for the quarterfinals:
19.00:
Berkay Karakurt-Wesley Apers
Adrien Tachoire-Alexis Rouaud.
20.30:
Myung Woo Cho-Antonio Montes
Jun Kim Tae-Joao Ferreira.