Billiards

Bao Phương Vinh eyes both world championship and World Cup titles in 2025. Photo of FIVE&SIX

HÀ NỘI — Bao Phương Vinh will try his best to reclaim his world championship individual crown and defend the world team championship number one place, while also keeping his eyes on the 2025 World Cup.

Vinh became Việt Nam's first three-cushion champion in 2023, but failed to defend his title after being disqualified in the quarter-final round last year.

Together with teammate Trần Quyết Chiến, he became one of the Vietnamese cue champions to win the 2024 world team championship title.

Vinh said his priority was to win one of eight world championships available this year, then he would work with Chiến to retain the team's trophy. 

The Bình Dương Province-born athlete also set a target of becoming the second Vietnamese player to win a World Cup following four-time winner Chiến.

“Every year I build my plan and give it my all. It is sometimes, a heavy pressure but it is also a motivating push for me. If I am afraid of facing challenges, how would I know whether I will succeed or fail?" said Vinh.

Currently, Vinh is undergoing a ten-day intensive training course in the US. He will travel to Colombia and join Chiến to compete in the first World Cup of the year, held from February 24 to March 2 in Bogotá. 

The duo will move to Germany for the 37th World Championship 3-Cushion National Teams on March 13-16 in Viersen.

They will then travel to a series of major events in South Korea, Turkey and Egypt. 

"It is a thick competition schedule and I will have to improve every day to adapt to each event," Vinh said. 

Vinh is not the only one hoping for success in 2025, he will be joined by Chiến who has ambitions of his own. 

Trần Quyết Chiến plans to reclaim his No 1 world position in 2025. Photo of UMB

 "I will defend my individual World Cup title in Bogota and then the world team championship in Viersen," said Chiến.

“I will pay all attention to these goals to achieve the best results and reclaim the world number one position."

The duo will also have opportunities to play on home soil as HCM City has won the right to host a World Cup event in the next three years.

After successfully organising the event for a decade, the World Billiards Union (UMB) has assigned HCM City to host three World Cup events ofthree-cushion from 2025 to 2027.

The decision, according to the HCM City Billiards and Snooker Federation (HBSF), was a recognition of HBSF's prestige and organisational capacity. 

It will also help maintain the tournament's stability and long-term development in Việt Nam, attracting attention from the world's top players as well as numerous fans around the world.

"I am glad that the World Cup will continue to be organised in HCM City in the next three years. I won individual and team world championship titles but have not enjoyed World Cup victory. I desire to take the World Cup title in HCM City this time," said Vinh.

HCM City first organised a World Cup in 2015. Since then, two competitions were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

As an official event in the UMB's competition system, athletes will definitely gain points from their performance and improve their world ranking.

HCM City has been an annual destination of many top cueists such as Dick Jaspers, Torbjorn Blomdahl, Frederick Caudron and Cho Myung Woo, among others.

Last year, Trần Minh Đức topped the podium, becoming the second Vietnamese player to win in the city. The first one was Chiến in 2018.

According to the schedule, this year's tournament will be held from May 19 to 25. Earlier, athletes will have to compete in qualifiers in March and April for spots in the finals. VNS