August 20, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lucas Wiseman
USBC Communications
(414) 412-6214
lucas.wiseman@bowl.com
On the Web: BOWL.com
UNITED STATES TAKES THIRD CONSECUTIVE TEAM GOLD AT WORLD MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
MUNICH, Germany - Team USA won its third consecutive five-player team gold medal, defeating Finland 1,073-1,057 in dramatic fashion Friday night at the 2010 World Tenpin Bowling Association World Men's Championships.
Anchor bowler Tommy Jones locked up the title for the Americans when he struck on the first shot in the final frame to outduel a Finnish team that erased a nearly triple-digit deficit in the final four frames at Dream Bowl Palace.
Jones led the Team USA effort with a 249 game and was followed by Wes Malott (245), Patrick Allen (202), Chris Barnes (194) and Bill O'Neill (183). Finland was led by Mika Koivuniemi with a 245 game and he was joined by Osku Palermaa (217), Joonas Jahi (214), Pasi Uotila (195) and Petteri Salonen (186).
"This is what we come here for - to win the team gold medal," Jones said. "Anything less than gold leaves a bitter taste. Winning the team title three times in a row is something we are really proud of."
When Jones stepped up in the final frame, he knew he needed to perform after Palermaa struck on his first shot. Jones delivered a perfect strike, which was followed by Palermaa leaving a 4 pin on his next shot. That took the pressure off Jones but he struck anyway to allow the Americans to celebrate another title.
"I didn't bowl well all week but for my team to believe in me enough to let me bowl last was a huge honor, and I'm glad I was able to come through for them," Jones said. "We got ahead early and Finland showed a lot of heart battling back. It was a back-and-forth match and both teams put on a great show."
The United States advanced to the gold-medal match by defeating Colombia, 1,048-970, in the semifinals, while Finland took down host Germany, 996-941.
Team USA struggled at the start against Colombia but pulled away down the stretch as Allen led the team with a 235 game and was followed by Jones (231), O'Neill (212), Malott (197) and Barnes (173). Sixth man Rhino Page did not bowl in the semifinals or final for Team USA but still earned a gold medal because he competed in the second round of qualifying.
In all-events, O'Neill earned the gold medal with ease, finishing with a 24-game total of 5,343, an average of 222.6. Barnes took the silver with 5,258, while Korea's Jang Dong-Chul earned the bronze with 5,091.
"This is pretty cool, but I don't really think of it as me dominating because I was just out there trying to be my best possible for the team every event," O'Neill said. "Even though I have three gold medals, I'm a little disappointed I didn't bowl better in the team final, but my team was there to pick me up."
The top 16 players in the all-events standings advanced to Saturday's Masters match play and Team USA will be represented by four players. In addition to O'Neill and Barnes, Allen made it in fourth place with 5,079, while Malott was seventh with 5,065.
Jones just missed making the Masters, finishing tied for 16th with 5,009 but lost the tiebreaker, which was high last game, with Finland's Salonen. Page finished 22nd with 4,972.
BowlingDigital.com will provide live streaming of the Masters match play Saturday and coverage also can be viewed live on BOWL.com. Coverage of the Round of 16 and quarterfinals will begin at 2 a.m. Eastern, while the semifinals and finals coverage begins at 7 a.m. Eastern.
The 2010 WTBA World Men's Championships features 356 competitors from 65 countries competing for medals in six events - five-player team, trios, doubles, singles, all-events and Masters match play.
For complete coverage of the World Men's Championships, including photos, videos, stories and results, visit BOWL.com.
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Bowl with US
2010 WTBA WORLD MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Dream Bowl Palace, Munich, Germany
Friday's Results
FIVE-PLAYER TEAM
CHAMPIONSHIP
(Winner earns gold, loser gets silver)
(1) United States def. (2) Finland, 1,073-1,057
SEMIFINALS
(Winners advance, losers tie for bronze)
(1) United States def. (4) Colombia, 1,048-970
(2) Finland def. (3) Germany, 996-941
QUALIFYING
(Top 10, six games)
1, United States, 6,376. 2, Finland, 6,358. 3, Germany, 6,226. 4, Colombia, 6,119. 5 (tie), Korea and Chinese Taipei, 6,091. 7, Canada, 6,074. 8, Singapore, 6,054. 9, Greece, 6,049. 10, United Arab Emirates, 6,005.
ALL-EVENTS
(Top 10, 24 games)
1, Bill O'Neill, United States, 5,343. 2, Chris Barnes, United States, 5,258. 3, Jang Dong-Chul, Korea, 5,091. 4, Patrick Allen, United States, 5,079. 5, Du Jian-Chao, China, 5,069. 6, Ernesto Franco, Mexico, 5,068. 7, Wes Malott, United States, 5,065. 8, Choi Bok-Eum, Korea, 5,051. 9, Michael Mak, Hong Kong, 5,049. 10, Cho Young-Seon, Korea, 5,032.
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