2005 Duisburg, GER

Kai Virtanen from Finland and Kim Soo-Kyung from Korea won the men's and women's titles at the 7th World Games 2005. The decision in both championship matches were made in the very last frame. Virtanen topped Gery Verbruggen from Belgium, 444-424 to win the men's title. Soo-Kyung, who led since the qualifying, edged Zara Glover from England by one pin (!!) to earn the gold medal in the women's division, 416-415.  In the opening matches, Andrew Cain, USA, fell to Virtanen 228-148, while Glover defeated Caroline Lagrange, CAN, 227-167.

Gery Verbruggen from Belgium, Team USA's Andrew Cain and Kai Virtanen from Finland will battle it out for the men's Singles title in the 7th World Games 2005 here at Joe's SuperBowling in Mülheim on the Ruhr. Qualifying leader Kim Soo-Kyung from Korea, Canada's Caroline Lagrange and Zara Glover from England will bowl for the women's title.

French champions Isabelle Saldjian and Francois Sacco used the momentum from the semi-final victory over Korea to defeat topseeded Malaysians Shalin Zulkifli and Zulmazran Zulkifli, 828-792, en route to win the gold medal in Mixed Doubles in the 7th World Games in Germany. Malaysia earned the silver medal while Korea's Kim Soo-Kyung and Kang Hee-Won took bronze.

Mixed Doubles bronze medalists Kim Soo-Kyung and Kang Hee-Won (l-r) from Korea led the top 10 men and top 10 women into the round robin match play finals on Wednesday starting at 9 a.m. The top 3 men and top 3 women after ten games will advance to the stepladder finals at 4.30 p.m. to determine the World Games champions. Both finals will be played simultaneously as the German TV has announced that the finals will be televised live.

Kang Hee-Won and Kim Soo-Kyung from Korea lead the Singles event in the 7th World Games after 18 of 24 games. Men's overnight leader Kang averaged 249,33 in his six-game block on Tuesday morning to widen his lead to 188 pins. Yannaphon Larp-apharat from Thailand is second with Germany's Achim Grabowski in third. Kim posted 1346 to leap from 4th to first. Japans' Ayano Katai is second with Piritta Kantola from Finland third and yesterday's leader Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, fourth. The fourth and final block is scheduled for 3 p.m.

The individual pinfall from the Mixed Doubles was carried forward into the Singles competition on Tuesday (two 6-game blocks at 8.30 a.m. and 3 p.m.). Korean Kang Hee-Won (left) posted the field-best 2722, 12-game total to lead the men's division by 25 pins. Shalin Zulkifli (right) sits atop the women's leaderboard. The Malaysian overtook Piritta Kantola from Finland with a 279 in the 10th game. Zulkifli registered 2535 pins, an average of 211,3.

Rolando A. Sebelen (left), Dominican Republic set the pace men's singles event at the 2005 World Games in Germany. Sebelen has felled 1372 pins, an average of 228,67 for six games. Second place belonged to Kang Hee-Won, Korea, who is mere four pins behind with 1368. Mithat Siveliol, Turkey, is a surprising third with 1333. In the women's division, Piritta Kantola (right), Finland, took the pole position with 1296 and an average of 216,00. Kim Soo-kyung, Korea, is second with 1271, while Filipina Liza Del Rosario is third with 1263.

Zulmazran Zulkifli and Shalin Zulkifli (pictured) from Malaysia, Kang Hee-Won and Kim Soo-Kyung from Korea and Francois Sacco and Isabelle Saldjian from France will bowl for the title in the Mixed Doubles finals at the 7th World Games 2005, Tuesday at 12 a.m. at Joe's SuperBowling in Mülheim on the Ruhr in Germany. The Malaysian internationals took the lead after nine games and never looked back. The duo (no relationship) felled 5194 over twelve games, an average of 216,4.

Korea's Kang Hee-Won and Kim Soo-Kyung (r-l) finished the first six-game block in Mixed Doubles at the 2005 World Games with a 465-game to help grab the top spot at the 7th World Games 2005 in Germany. Kang shot a 1368-series and Kim added 1271 for 2639 pinfall total and an average of 219,9. Trailing the Koreans by 79 pins is the duo from Malaysia, Shalin Zulkifli and Zulmazran Zulkifli (no relationship) with 2560. Finland with Kantola and Singles champion Kai Virtanen led the field after four games but slipped to third with 2548.