History made as Carlo Biado nails second World Pool Championship crown

MANILA, Philippines, July 28 ------ Plenty of legends came before him, but only Carlo Biado holds the distinction as the Filipino to win multiple World Pool Championship crowns. Biado ruled the tournament for the second time as he dethroned Fedor Gorst of the USA following a pulsating 15-13 win in the final at the Green Halls in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Fending off a tough-as-nails Gorst who climbed his way out of a deep hole, Biado — the 2017 champion — delivered the Philippines its fifth title in the prestigious nine-ball showdown that has been running since 1990. Other Filipinos who won the event were Efren “Bata” Reyes (1999), Ronnie Alcano (2006), and Francisco “Django” Bustamante (2010). “It means a lot,” said Biado when asked about being the Philippines’ first two-time World Pool Championship titleholder. “I’m happy.” “My opponent is a monster. He is tough to beat.”

Biado pulled out all the stops to overcome Gorst, who lived up to his billing as world No. 1 and defending champion as the Russian-American star fought back from 2-9 and 9-13 deficits. Gorst won seven straight racks to knot the score at 9-9 then once again pulled level at 13-13, putting a mountain of pressure on Biado. But Biado held his nerve as he regained the upper hand at 14-13 then played flawlessly in the 28th game to become just the seventh player in World Pool Championship history to capture multiple titles.

After pocketing the nine ball, Biado let out a huge roar, pumped his fists, then hopped on the table with his hands raised — the 41-year-old a picture of joy as he returns home not only with the trophy but also millions in his bank account. Biado will receive $250,000 (around P14.2 million). The loss prevented Gorst from tying the United States’ Earl Strickland, who topped the first two editions in 1990 and 1991 then won again in 2002, for most World Pool Championship crowns.

Gorst, who will still bag $100,000, nailed his first title in 2019 for Russia and repeated the feat in 2024 for the United States. “Carlo was simply too good for me tonight,” said Gorst. Out of 18 Filipinos who joined the tournament, seven reached the last 16, including Bernie Regalario, James Aranas, Jefrey Roda, Anton Raga, Jeffrey Ignacio, and Patric Gonzales. Regalario went as far as the semifinals, where he absorbed an 11-3 loss to Biado as he settled for $50,000.

Source: rappler.com