Asian Games Billiards: Advani clinches India`s first gold

Mtoday news

Guangzhou, Nov 14: India’s ace billiards player Pankaj Advani won the country its first gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games after he beat Oo Nay Thway Oo of Myanmar in the summit clash on Sunday.

 

This was Advani’s second successive gold in the Asian Games.

The former world professional champion Advani beat Nay Thway with frames of 33-100, 100-61, 12-101, 101-4, 100-45 in the summit clash here.

Earlier in the day, Advani beat another Myanmar cueist Oo Kyaw Oo 3-2 in the semifinals. The 25-year-old Bangalorean beat Kyaw with frames of 100-28, 0-100, 100-77, 11-100, 101-0.

Advani won his first world championship title in 2003 IBSF World Snooker Championship in China.

Advani, who is the only player to have achieved a grand double of winning both the points and timed formats at the IBSF World Billiards Championships 2005, repeated the same feat at the 2008 Championships held in Bangalore.

The Ace cueist, however, failed to defend his title in the Point format, losing to nine-time world champion England`s Mike Russell in a one-sided final in August this year.

Among others Indians in fray at the Games here, Alok Kumar fought his way to a 7-4 win over Ricky Yang of Indonesia to advance to the semifinals of the men`s 8-ball pool.

However, compatriot Sumit Talwar squandered a 2-frame lead to lose 4-7 to Afrinneza Irsal Nasution in another quarterfinals tie.

The 42-year-old Alok will now face Kuo Po-Cheng of Chinese Taipei in the semifinal.

Alok was lagging 0-2 at one point but the Indian clawed his way back to lead 6-2, winning the next six frames on the trot to stun his rival.