The last day of the Dynamic Billiard European Championships for Youth in Lasko, Slovenia started with the final rounds of 9-ball.
It was the Polish contingent who got a representative for all the finals. In the girls division Dominika Pawelczyk took the brightest medal in front of Aleksandra Guleikova of Russia. Guleikova won gold from 8-ball in the previous European Championships for youth, played two years ago, and hunted for her first gold at this year’s event. The 17-year-old Pole gave no chance to his opponent in the final and advanced to a clear 6-1 victory and no tears of joy were not avoided after the match.
Girls division, L to R: Aleksandra Guleikova (RUS), Dominika Pawelczyk (POL), Anna Riegler (AUT) and Milena Murha (BLR)
The Dutch Yannick Pongers had already won silver and bronze in Slovenia, gaining a new chance for gold in 9-ball. The experience of the previous final defeat had clearly made Pongers even stronger, and the U17 series final did not see much drama as the Dutchman cruised to a clear 7-1 victory over his Polish opponent, Sambor Stachowiak.
U17 division, L to R: Sambor Stachowiak (POL), Yannick Pongers (NED), Jori Narvola (FIN) and Karl Gnadeberg (EST)
In the U19 series final were Belarus Mikita Paluyan and Poland’s Oskar Jamorski. This final evolved into a true thriller. Paluyan found the break in the arena table faster and it worked to his advantage all the way to the end. However, in a 6-3 situation, Jamorski got into the match and reached a tie of 6-6. In the exciting 13th round, the turn changed frequently due to both safety shots and difficult shots. In the end, the Belarusian took the rack and ended the match with a break and run.
U19 division, L to R: Oskar Jamorski (POL), Mikita Paluyan (BLR), Gert Maimre (FIN) and Szymon Kural (POL)
Poland is in the first place in the medal table before team event.
Results to all tournaments and matches can be found at https://www.epbf.com/tournaments/european-championships/
All photo © EPBF