'World No. 1' Jo Myeong-woo claims the Billiards Federation President's Cup after seven years... In the women's division, Heo Chae-won defeats Park Se-jeong to claim the title with a 'seven consecutive wins' streak broken.

*This content was translated by AI.

'World No. 1' Jo Myeong-woo (28·Seoul City Hall) claimed the title in the men's three-cushion carom division of the '2026 Korea Billiards Federation President's Cup National Billiards Tournament with SOOP'. Although he is ranked world number one, it has been seven years since he reclaimed this tournament's top spot.

On the 8th, Jo Myeong-woo defeated Song Yun-do (Hongseong High School Affiliated Broadcasting and Telecommunications High School) 50-36 in the final held at Yanggu Comprehensive Sports Town in Yanggu-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, to claim the championship.

This final attracted attention as a showdown between senior and junior national team players representing the present and future of Korean three-cushion billiards. Jo Myeong-woo, who stands at the pinnacle of the world, faced Song Yun-do, who grew up as part of the 'Jo Myeong-woo Kids' group since his youth and rose to become a national team player, in a battle for the national tournament title.

With this victory, Jo Myeong-woo returned to the top of the Korea Billiards Federation President's Cup for the first time since 2019, seven years later. At the age of 19 years and five months, he had previously claimed the title at this tournament in 2017, setting a record as the youngest winner in an adult domestic three-cushion national tournament at the time. This marks his third overall victory in the tournament, following his win in 2019. Sharing third place were Jeong Seung-il (Seoul Billiards Federation) and Lee Beom-yeol (Siheung City Sports Council).

The rapid rise of teenage players recently making their mark on the domestic stage also drew attention. Jo Myeong-woo faced teenage players in consecutive national tournament finals recently. In July, at the 5th Incheon Metropolitan Mayor's Cup National Billiards Tournament, he was defeated by Kim Do-hyun (Sangdong High School Affiliated Broadcasting and Telecommunications High School) and settled for runner-up. At this tournament, he met Song Yun-do in the final. The performances of teenage players who have repeatedly reached the finals against the world number one are leading to a new trend in Korean three-cushion billiards.

Jo Myeong-woo said, "I have many good memories from Yanggu, so I prepared hard this time with the thought that I must win." He added, "I met teenage players in consecutive finals at two recent tournaments. Both Kim Do-hyun and Song Yun-do are excellent players, and I believe you cannot let your guard down for even a moment when playing against young athletes."

In the women's three-cushion general division, Heo Chae-won (23·Seoul Billiards Federation) defeated Park Se-jeong (Gyeongbuk Billiards Federation), who had recorded seven consecutive wins in recently organized federation tournaments, 25-15 in the final to claim the title. This was Heo Chae-won's first national tournament victory since the '20th Korea Sports Council President's Cup 2025 National Billiards Tournament' held in November 2025. After securing the win, she shed tears of emotion.

Heo Chae-won stated, "Recently, I had a difficult time as my results did not match my preparation." She continued, "I lost every time I faced Park Se-jeong this year, so this time I played with the mindset to not get nervous and just focus on doing my own thing well. That led to a good result, and I am truly happy." Sharing third place were Hwang Yeong-in (Gangwon Billiards Federation) and Baek Ga-in (Chungnam Billiards Federation).

In the pocket 9-ball general division, Ha Min-wook (Busan Metropolitan City Sports Council) and Kwon Bo-mi (Gangwon Billiards Federation) claimed the top spots in the men's and women's divisions, respectively. In the men's division, Lee Dae-gyu (Seoul City Hall) finished as runner-up, while Ko Tae-young (Gyeongbuk Sports Council) and Kim Soo-woong (Seoul City Hall) shared third place. In the women's division, Jeong Jeong-hyun (Chungbuk Billiards Federation) took runner-up, with Song Na-kyeong (Gyeongnam Billiards Federation) and Jin Hye-ju (Gwangju Billiards Federation) sharing third place.

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*This content was translated by AI.