GURI – The Korean stronghold with its wealth of talent has produced another star player. The podium of the Junior World championship welcomed Tae Kwan Kim, the younger brother of four time world champion Haeng Jik Kim, as the new champion. He grabbed the title this Saturday in front of his Guri home crowd in an all Korean final.
Tae Kwan Kim jumped to victory in the final match against Jun Tae Kim, 35-30 in 30 innings, and did a little happy-dance to show his emotion.
The era of the Korean Kim's in three cushion, with the sadly missed Kyung Roul Kim as frontrunner and Haeng Jik as its major talent, got a beautiful new chapter in Guri. Tae Kwan Kim, a bachelor student and a substitute for this WC, was the surprise winner.
Three of the four semi-finalists are Koreans, the fourth was last year's world champion Adrien Tachoire. Tae Kwan Kim was the youngest and least experienced of the four, but he showed his battling mentality on the final day. The final was balanced from 10-10 to 23-23 and 29-29. Tae Kwan then mounted his decisive attack with a run of five, to win at 35-30 in 30.
The new world champion comes from a family with two children, he and Haeng Jik live in Suwon. Haeng Jik (23) has his busy billiard room, and he will finish his military service later this year. Tae Kwan still goes to school. He practices both in school and in Haeng Jik's room.
The success story of the Kim brothers is a remarkable one. Haeng Jik Kim won his world junior titles in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012, and he already played high averages back then. His second place in the Luxor World Cup, behind Dick Jaspers, marked his return.
He celebrated the victory of his young brother in the venue in Guri, where UMB sports director Farouk Barki closed the tournament with a short farewell to the great organizers. The World Cup, in the same billiards hall, will start on Monday.
U.M.B.