Mario He
THE 2024 DYNAMIC BILLARD European Championships concluded this afternoon in Podčetrtek as the four 9-ball tournaments played out. Ultimately, it was Germany who topped the medal table as wins for Pia Filler – her third of the championships – and Dennis Laszkowski lifted them above Poland in the final tally. Last day golds also went to Mario He, his first in the 9-ball division, and the incomparable Jouni Tahti, who added yet another to his bursting trophy cabinet.
Mario He, who’s previous successes at the European Championships were in 2012 and 2021 in the 8-ball division, added 9-ball to his roster following a commanding 9-4 win over Luca Menn, the 24-year-old German.
Menn had started the better as he secured a 2-0 lead, but He slowly found his game as his play became more fluent and aggressive as the match progressed. As He built his lead, Menn made a few errors which gifted opportunities to his opponent.
The Austrian showed greater composure when in the balls and some break-and-runs at critical moments was enough to see him over the line and onto the podium.
Commented He, “I got runner-up at the 9-ball in 2011, a long time ago, and I’ve only won twice in 8-ball, so I was searching for another title in another discipline. 9-ball is just perfect for me and I’m very happy to have won another European Championship.
“When you’re down and losing (in semi-final against Marc Bijsterbosch) you feel like you’re on a freeroll, hoping that Marc will make another mistake, which he did so I could come back and win. I felt the whole tournament like I could win every match. I was never in doubt of myself. Of course, you cannot control that you’re going to win the tournament but when you win one you feel that you’re playing really well and can win another.”
Bronze medals went to the Netherland’s Marc Bijsterbosch and David Zalman of the Czech Republic.
Pia Filler
Pia Filler completed a hugely successful European Championships as she took the women’s 9-ball gold to add to gold medals in the straight pool
and 10-ball divisions as well as a silver in the teams. It was an eventful week for Filler as in addition to her stellar success on the table, she also had to sit out the 8-ball event following an unscheduled hospital visit.
It didn’t hold her back, however, as she ran unbeaten through the 9-ball event, beating Poland’s Oliwia Zalewska 7-3 for the final title of the week.
Filler said, “I’m over the moon, really proud of myself and my performance and I’m so happy. Before I came here, a friend asked me how many am I going to win this time, and I said I want to win all of them! I knew I had it in me. I came here well-prepared and I always believed in myself and I’m so happy that I got the job done. “
The bronze medallists were Ana Gradisnik (Slovenia) and Darya Siranchuk of Ukraine.
Jouni Tahti
Jouni Tahti of Finland won his 31st European Championship gold medal as he made light work of Italy’s Fabio Del Zoppo to win the wheelchair 9-ball division by a 6-1 scoreline. Tahti’s success story started in 2002 in his home country and the intervening 22 years have seen him create a record that seems unlikely ever to be broken.
Commented Tahti, “I’m delighted to win a trophy this week as I hadn’t done so coming into this final event of the championships. I was a little surprised that Fabio made it through to the final but I had complete respect for him in that match. I’m happy that new players are coming along in the wheelchair division as it is good for the sport and its future.”
The bronze medallists were David Slacek of Slovenia and Sweden’s Henrik Larsson.
Germany’s Dennis Laszkowski continued his impressive ascendancy as he took the Under 23 9-ball gold following a hard-fought 8-6 victory over
this week’s 8-ball champion Arseny Sevastyanov (Finland). The 19-year-old had led throughout the match and although Sevastyanov rallied, he could never quite get on level terms as Laszkowski ran out the winner.
Dennis Laszkowski
The German lad has already won European Championship gold at adult level, having taken the 8-ball title in Tampere last year. In addition, he also holds gold medals from the European Youth Championships.
Said Dennis, “It means the world to me as before the tournament it was my goal to be a European Champion again. I knew it was going to be difficult as there are so many great players in this under 23 division and the fact that I managed to play my best in the final means so much to me.
“It’s always a big step moving up and you don’t normally win your first attempt but I knew that if I played my best, I’d have a great chance and that’s what drove me on.”
The beaten semi-finalists and bronze medal winners were Luca Montanari (Italy) and Pelayo Cueli Hurtado of Spain.
Pool returns to the same arena this Thursday 18th July with the start of the men’s Dynamic Billard Euro Tour and the women’s Predator Euro Tour.
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