The EPBF European Pool Championships 8-Ball tournament concluded with three distinct gold-medal performances in the men’s, women’s, and under-23 divisions. The finals featured competitive matches and notable shifts in momentum, culminating in victories for Juan Carlos Exposito of Spain, Jasmin Ouschan of Austria, and Yuma Dorner of Germany.
Tournament Highlights and Final Results
The closing day of the 8-ball events saw grueling competition across all brackets. Below is a summary of the final placements for the gold and silver medalists.
| Division | Gold Medalist | Silver Medalist | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s | Juan Carlos Exposito (ESP) | Emil-Andre Gangflot (NOR) | 8-7 |
| Women’s | Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) | Mayte Ropero (ESP) | 6-4 |
| Under-23 | Yuma Dorner (GER) | Dennis Laszkowski (GER) | 8-5 |
Men’s Division: Juan Carlos Exposito
Juan Carlos Exposito secured the gold medal after overcoming a significant deficit against Norway’s Emil-Andre Gangflot. Exposito trailed 6-0 and 7-3 early in the match before capitalizing on minor positional errors and dry breaks from his opponent. The Spanish player managed to claw his way back to force a deciding rack, ultimately claiming the championship with a thrilling 8-7 victory.
“European champion 8-ball is a dream for me. I enjoyed the match at the end but at the beginning I didn’t enjoy that much! I was 6-0, 7-3 down and I was thinking all the time that if you have a chance, take it. It’s a European final so you never play freely – it’s a lot of responsibility. There are many, many rounds to be here and you never know when you’ll be back, if ever, so you have to take your chance.”
Women’s Division: Jasmin Ouschan
Experienced Austrian competitor Jasmin Ouschan navigated a challenging day of four consecutive matches to claim another European Championship gold. Her path to the final included hard-fought victories over Lena Primus (5-3) in the quarter-final and Sara Rocha (4-2) in the semi-final. In the final match against Spain’s Mayte Ropero, Ouschan relinquished an early 4-1 lead before regaining control to secure a 6-4 victory.
“Winning another title of course feels great. I’m really happy that I could pull it off in the end. Of course, I’m a competitor so I don’t just want to win I want to perform well and today was quite a challenge for me. It was a big fight from start to finish and for whatever reason destiny wanted me to really fight for that one. Next time I’m going to make sure that I’m in front.”
Under-23 Division: Yuma Dorner
In the Under-23 category, Germany’s Yuma Dorner defeated defending champion and compatriot Dennis Laszkowski. Dorner secured the victory with an 8-5 margin. This win adds to his growing list of European Championship accolades, having previously won gold at the Under-19 level, as well as the Under-23 9-ball gold in the previous calendar year.
“It feels very good of course, it’s always different playing a friend. I always try to do the same in every match but the mental side may be different because it’s a final and more pressure but I tried to do the same all the time and It’s always good to see the hard work pay off.”
What You Need to Know
- Comeback Victories: Both the men’s and women’s finals required the ultimate victors to overcome significant pressure, with Exposito completing a massive comeback from a 6-0 deficit to win 8-7.
- Endurance Testing: The tournament scheduling placed high physical and mental demands on the players, with competitors like Ouschan having to play up to four consecutive matches on the final day.
- Consistent Success: Both Ouschan and Dorner added this year’s 8-ball titles to a pre-existing record of European Championship gold medals in their respective careers.