The sensation that only a few bowling fans in the Czech Republic dreamed of before the tournament became a reality. The Czech quartet consisting of Lukáš Jelínek, Tomáš Liebich, Daniel Seidl and Matěj Vojkovský won the historically first gold medals in Czech bowling at a European or world event in Helsinki, Sweden. In the final, the Czechs also beat players from the USA, who have long been the best country in sports bowling.
The Czechs went to the U21 World Championships in order to show the growing quality of Czech bowling. The best player of the team was undoubtedly the current champion of the Czech Republic Lukáš Jelínek. It was the player of the extra-league team Rigor Mortis who made it to the TOP 16 in the individual competition, where the competition continued with two eight-member groups as a play-off.
Back to the team competition. The team led by coach Jan Spáčil advanced to the top 16 from tenth place. Surprisingly, the English came from the first position, followed by the Dutch and the Americans.
In an eight-member group, the Czechs met the USA, Singapore, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland and New Zealand. After seven matches in a one-on-one format, Singapore and the Czech Republic were in second place in the “Czech” group.
To decide so one extra match had to be the style the winner takes it all. The Czechs managed it in first place and could look forward to the semifinals with bowlers from Saudi Arabia. The medal from the world event has been one of the other great successes of Czech bowling in recent years.
The fight for the finals was played in two winning matches. In the match with the team from the Middle East, the Czechs played phenomenally. Winning 2: 0 with a great throw of 231 and 258 points meant that the historical moment in Czech bowling history will be played against the USA.
In the final, the Czechs were an outsider. But they did something against the experienced Americans that will be remembered for a long time to come. Our players took the lead 1: 0, then the USA team leveled. In the last game, the Czechs conjured a fantastic 268, and when Lukáš Jelínek threw the last roll, it was already clear.
The Czech Republic is now on the list of countries that can be proud of the title of world champions. The names Lukáš Jelínek, Tomáš Liebich, Daniel Seidl and Matěj Vojkovský will be written in gold in Czech chronicles.
Source: IBF
