Jesper Agerbo (left) of Denmark and Kelly Kulick, United States, winners of the World Singles Bowling Championships in Doha yesterday.
Jesper Agerbo of Denmark and defending women’s champion Kelly Kulick, United States, struck gold in the World Singles Championships which concluded here yesterday with the knock-out finals at Qatar Bowling Center in Doha.
Along with the gold medal, Agerbo and Kulick received $8,000 and $6,000 prize money bonuses, respectively.
Agerbo, a seven-time European champion, flew past 19-year-old Rafiq Ismail (of Malaysia, 256-205, to seal the victory.
PWBA spokesperson Kulick, who won the inaugural World Singles Championships in Cyprus in 2012, defeated 2016 PWBA Rookie of the Year New Hui Fen of Singapore, 214-195, to successfully defend her title.
In the semifinals, Agerbo, who won three gold medals at the 2016 European Championships (singles, trios and all-events), eliminated No. 4 seed, Joonas Jähi of Finland, 234-168. Jähi won two gold medals at the 2016 European Championships (doubles and team) and finished second to Agerbo in all-events.
In the other match, Ismail sidelined three-time Asian champion Michael Mak of Hong Kong, 235-224. Ismail received the silver medal while Mak and Jähi both got a bronze medal.
The women’s medal round featured three USA vs. Singapore matches. Fourth-seeded New, who won the season-ending Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship for her first career PWBA title and the first major, edged top-seeded world champion Shannon Pluhowsky, 238-237, to advance to the title match.
Second-seeded Kulick, who made sports history by winning the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions to become the first woman to win a PBA Tour event, eliminated New’s team mate and No. 3 seed, Shayna Ng, 216-172, in the other semifinal match.
New earned the silver medal while Pluhowsky and Ng shared the bronze medal.
