In the final, super talent Myung Woo Cho was the favorite. But 60-year-old Torbjorn Blomdahl clawed his way back into a match that looked like Korean on-way traffic for a while, and added yet another World Cup win to his long resume. With 46 Gold Medals, 19 Silvers and 28 Bronzes, Blomadhal has been on the podium of a World Cup prize ceremony an astonishing 93 times in 195 tournaments held since 1986
“Everything is a bonus now”, said the Swede. He claimed to play without much pressure, but his body language during the final revealed how badly he still wanted to win. A run of 12 brought him back to life, after Cho had dominated the first half hour of a final that was thoroughly entertaining. The Vietnamese crowd loved it.
Martin Horn had no answer to Cho’s scoring in the first semi, and Jun Tae Kim was not quite himself when he played Blomdahl in the second semi. Consolation prize for both: they will soon be seeded players in World Cups.
Semifinals: Cho – Horn 50 – 34 in 24
Blomdahl – Kim 50 – 31 in 30/29
Final: Blomdahl – Cho 50 – 44 in 33/32
Blomdahl’s run of 26 in his first match is a new world record for high runs in World Cup play.
UMB president Farouk Barki announced that the Ho Chi Minh World Cup will again be on the calendar in 2024, and that Vietnam will also host the World Championship.
