abf-online.org - brought to you by ASIAN BOWLING FEDERATION

HKGX 2025 IBF World Championships

Finland sweeps Singles gold

Photo Album 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Medal Album

27th November, Hong Kong, China: Top-seed, Luukas Vaananen defeated Tomas Kayhko, 2-1 in the all-Finn final to capture the Men's Singles gold medal of the HKGX 2025 IBF World Championships while Essi Pakarinen helped Finland to win another gold medal with victory in the Women's final.

Vaananen lost the first best-of-3 match to his more experienced team-mate, Kayhko, 227-247 but the 20-year-old bounced back to edge Kayhko, 258-247 to force a third match. The champion had a better start after reeling in four strikes-in-a-row to open up a one frame lead.

Kayhko found it difficult to make an impact but eventually found his way to string together several strikes for a chance to overhaul Vaananen. Kayhko struck in the ninth frame and strike out but left a wobbling pin eight which force him to concede the tie, 236-247.

Vaananen had to go into third match to beat Ryan Barnes of USA, 2-1 in the semi-finals to reach the final. Kayhko took out second-seed, Markus Jansson of Sweden, 2-0 in the other semi-final match to set up the all-Finn final. Jansson and Barnes were awarded a bronze medal each.

Men's Singles medalists, Kayhko, Vaananen, Jansson and Barnes

In the earlier Round 2 head-to-head Matchplay finals, Jansson topped Group A with 18 points. Dan A. Ostergaard of Denmark finished second with 15 points and Patrick Hanrahan of USA in third with 12 points. Vaananen also topped Group C with 18 points to earn his spot in the semi-finals with James Blomgren of Sweden in second with 15 points.

Barnes and Korea's Ji Geun were tied on 12 points each and faced each other in the final match. Barnes thrashed Ji 267-198 to earn the 3 bonus point allowing the American to top Group D with 15 points. There was a three-way one game tie-breaker after Mohammad Hafiz Zainuddin of Malaysia, Mihal-Alin Dragnia of Romania and Kayhko amassed 15 points each. Kayhko defeated Dragnia and Mohammad Hafiz, 244-205-204 to reach the final.

Meanwhile in the women's division, Essi Pakarinen breezed past third-seed, Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee of Malaysia, 2-0 (217-191, 214-169) to give Finland their first gold medal. Pakarinen easily beat top-seed, Breanna Clemmer of USA, 248-181 in their opening match.

But Clemmer fought back brilliantly to take the second match, 266-225. The Finn easily took the decider, 254-222 to win the semi-final. Adelia was also forced into a third match after they leveled 1-1 at the end of the second match against Shayna Ng of Singapore.

The Malaysian won the first match, 202-184 but lost the second match, 160-164 forcing a third deciding match. Adelia tool the third match, 230--190 to earn her spot in the final. Ng topped Group A with 16 points from five wins and a draw.

Pakarinen won Group B with 15 points to book her semi-final spot. Adelia and Clemmer topped Group C and D with 15 and 18 points respectively to make the semis. Clemmer and Ng took home a bronze medal each.

Women's Singles medalists, Adelia Nur Irwan, Pakarinen, Ng and Clemmer

Competition now shifts to the Doubles (Bakers' Format) with the women contesting in two squads on November 28. The men will compete in their Doubles on November 30. The winner of each of the four groups will advance to the semi-finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Hong Kong, China.

| Back |