Filipino cue artis Carlo Biado at the Reyes Cup, October 16, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA (UPDATED) – Filipino pool champion Carlo Biado has made history again -- this time in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Biado became the first Filipino to win a second World Pool Championship title, after dethroning defending champion Fedor Gorst in a back-and-forth 15-13 final early Sunday morning, Philippine time.
He first won the World Nineball title in 2017 in Doha, Qatar, the last time a Filipino clinched the coveted championship.
With the feat, Biado becomes the only Filipino to lift the crown jewel twice.
"I'm over the moon—I still can't believe I'm a two-time world champion. It means everything to me. I'm so proud to bring this trophy home to the Philippines," Biado said after winning the title.
The defending champion started strong in the final, building a 2-0 lead over Biado. But the Filipino came alive and showed his composure to come up with a 9-2 lead.
Gorst did not go down without a fight, taking advantage of errors by Biado, to level the match at 9-all and 13-all.
The 41-year-old Filipino remained determined in crunch time, sealing the final two racks to claim the victory and the title at 15-13.
"This final is something I'll remember forever. Fedor is one of the best in the world," said Biado, who also took home the $250,000 in prize money.
"When I was leading 9-2, I still couldn't relax because he's a monster on the table. But today, I stayed focused, stayed calm, and maybe had a little luck on my side too," he added.
With the recent victory, Biado joins Filipino pool legends Efren "Bata" Reyes (1999), Ronnie Alcano (2006) and Francisco "Django" Bustamante (2010) as previous winners of the prestigious tournament.
Meanwhile, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino hailed Biado for keeping the country's winning tradition in the sport.
"This is another great reason to rejoice and celebrate. Carlo Biado winning in Jeddah and becoming the only player in the world to emerge 9-ball champion twice," Tolentino said. "Long live Biado and Philippine billiards."
The POC has been tasked to administer the obligations and responsibilities of the national sports association of billiards and snookers, the Billiard Sports Confederation of the Philippines (BSCP), since its suspension by the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sport, or ACBS, last March.
With this, the POC commits to provide guidance for the BSCP's athletes.
"We will continue to work, guide and help our national billiard athletes in their training and competitions abroad, including in the Thailand SEA [Southeast Asian] Games this December," Tolentino said.
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