Gold to the Swedish trio
3rd September, Monterry: The Swedish trio of Helen Johnsson, Nina Flack and Malin Glendert rallied on strongly in the final game of Squad 3 to topple the Americans with a total of 3970 to win the Trios gold medal at the World Women's Championship. The Danish trio of Britt Brondsted, Mai Ginge Jensen and Kamilla Kjeldsen had no Monday morning blues and got off to a flying start with a first game on the short oil pattern of 726. They followed with 632 in the second game and had a 610 finish to total 1968 for the short oil block.
Denmark set the benchmarck as the Squad 3 took to the lanes for their second block with the focus on Sweden and the United States. The top Korean trio, who would be in the final squad, would know exactly what they have to do to take yet another gold medal.
Sweden's Johnsson-Flack-Glendert and America's Barnes-O'Keefe-Milligan were running neck and neck with Sweden hitting 681 and the Americans 640 in the first game to give the Swedes the lead by 26 pins.
An outstanding 737 from the United States in game two set yet another world record for these Championships, the previous being 728, set by Korea in Malaysia in 2003. The American trio regained the lead by 43 pins.
But it wasn't the Americans that were in pole position when the dust of this squad had settled. The Swedish trio rallied to the cause and came sweeping down the home straight with 686 to total 3970 overall with a 2040 three-game score on the short oil pattern and so proceed to the top of the class.
Korea's Choi Jin A, Kim Yeau Jin and Nam Bo Ra took to the lanes in the final squad and needed 2041 or more to claim their second gold. A moderate start of 644 in the first game kept the Koreans in contention.
The trio fought with their hearts out with a superb 693 in the second game leaving a 704 or more in their final game for a chance of a gold but it was not to be as they only managed a 632 giving them a total of 3898.
So the gold went to the Swedes, the overnight leader, America settling for the silver and Korea doing well to take the bronze, just 12 pins ahead of the unlucky Danes being pushed down to fourth.
Singapore's Sabrina Lim, Evelyn Chan and Jazreel Tan, who was 23rd overnight in the first block, crawled their way back up to a superb second to the Koreans in Squad 1 and fifth overall with 3816 whilst the other trio finished down the field in 27th.
With 12 games played from two events, perfect gamer, Kim Yeau Jin led a Korean 1-2 in the All Events standings with 2783, just 20 pins ahead of teammate, Choi Jin A on 2763. Johnsson's 1393 took the Swede to third with 2758.
Detailed scores: Trios 2ndBlk Combined | All Events | Photo Album.
Photos courtesy of Keith Hale, Bowlers Journal International.