3-Cushion
PELOPENNOSOS - The sky is the limit, but is always getting higher and higher in three cushion. Torbjörn Blomdahl won the Greek World Cup in Peloponnese with a record average (2.739) with which he was unbeatable and he left the competition far behind. The Swede, who now has won 42 World Cups, defeated Ruben Legazpi in the final game (40-19 in 15) and improved the world record general tournament average over five matches, that was set by Frédéric Caudron in Vienna in 2011 (2.420).
Rarely in the history of World Cups the supremacy of a player was so obvious as what Blomdahl showed in the Wild West ranch. The only time he was in trouble was against Vietnamese Tran, who matched the Swede with 40-40. Blomdahl won the penalty shots after a lucky shot.
But in all other matches he showed his amazing form, with flashy, attractive games and most of the time with a stunning start, which put his opponents in defense and far behind.
His best game he played against the feared Korean Jung Han Heo with 40 in ten innings. It was not even the best in the tournament, because Jae Guen Kim did even better with nine innings.
Dreamworld, world of wonder, magic limits: all superlatives about Torbjörn Blomdahl fell short with this performance at the end of the tournament. He had the feeling for himself that he played the best tournament of his career, but as always he remained extremely modest.
,,I am certainly not the best player at all, I don’t have the best technique for sure, however this was just a tournament where everything fitted for the way I play. I could do what I wanted, I felt the tables well, they were fast, but not too difficult. Technique is important for three cushion, but it is not always the best technician who wins. Billiards is primarily a mind game.’’
Moreover, he emphasized again how the top players can push each other to higher levels. ,,Now I win this World Cup and I remain number one in the world, but the last time I won the world championship was in 1998.’’
Maybe, as he admitted, he’s enjoying his game more than ever before in these years of his career. The ambition and the will to win after all these wonderful years, in which he has won everything that can be won, are still unquenchable. He lifted the trophy with a big smile, during the ceremony, was cheered by the Greek public and celebrated for hours the stunning success.
How could he explain his magic form since last year?
Torbjörn: ,,Two years ago, many people in the billiards world thought my career was over. I came back and started to win tournaments again. I personally feel that I have never been away. The reason that I could play here on this level? I don’t know, maybe because I 've had a wonderful four weeks holiday with my family and friends in Sweden. I haven’t seen billiard balls in all those weeks and returned topfit to the table.’’
He insists that the game system to forty points is not ideal, especially not for top players. The match length seems taylor made for him with his fast style of play and the ability to make a decisive gap in only ten innings.
Therefore, he played his fantastic record in the Greek ranch: not only in his top match against Jung Han Heo, also in his last two games against Filippos Kasidokostas (3.076) and Ruben Legazpi (2.666) he finished very short, in thirteen and fifteen innings.
The champion could not have wished better.
The level of this World Cup in Peloponnese was very high in general, with a lot of tension and penalty shots in many games and more than half the matches over two average.
Ruben Legazpi was on stage the very happy number two in the rank. The Madrilenian, 31 years of age, played the tournament of his life and is ready for a new step in his career. In the ranks, also the Spaniard finished over two average: 2.011, Marco Zanetti recorded 2.051, Eddy Leppens 2.235, Jin Pyo Hong 2.066.
The general average in the main tournament was 1.669. Choong-Bok Lee scored with fifteen the highest run.
The next tournament for the World Cup is in Medellin, Colombia from 2 to November 6.