Jenny Billingham, England, and Andriy Vazhentsev, Ukraine, won the gold medals in the women's and men's bowling competition at the First European Sport Games in the Ukraine.

Kiev (Kyiv), capital and largest city of the Ukraine, hosts the FESG from July 19 through 25, 2007 with fifteen non-Olympic sports including Tenpin Bowling are included into the Games.

The bowling tournament was held at ‘5 Element' bowling center featuring one man and one woman from nine European Tenpin Bowling Federation member federations. Each player rolled two six game series to cut to the top six women and top six men, who bowled another three games. The top three women and the top three men advanced to the stepladder finals.

Both players from England, Malta and the host country survived the second cut and battled it out for the gold, silver and bronze medals.

In the women's division, top-seeded Billingham defeated hometown favorite Olena Mishchenko, seeded second, over two games total pinfall, 392-376. Mishchenko advanced to the title match thanks to a 211-191 victory over Sue Abela, Malta, in the opening match.

In the men's finals, Vazhentsev, the No. 2 seed, ousted Matthew Hann, England, in the opening match by the closest possible margin, 160-159, then went on to beat top-seeded Mark Spiteri, Malta, 359-346. Spiteri led by ten pins after game #1 (176-166), but the Ukrainian rebounded with a 193-170 victory to earn the gold medal.

The second European Sport Games will be held in Lithuania.

Andriy Vazhentsev and Olena Mishchenko took the lead in the bowling competition after the first day in the First European Sport Games in Kiev, Ukraine. Participating countries are Belarus, Belgium, England, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova and Ukraine.

Kiev (Kyiv), capital and largest city of the Ukraine, hosts the FESG from July 19 through 25, 2007. Fifteen non-Olympic sports including Tenpin Bowling are included into the Games: Body building; Billiards; Tenpin Bowling; Sambo; Wrestling on the belts “Alysh”; Kickboxing; Motor sport; Pankration; Dance sports; Sport acrobatics; Sumo; Strongman contests; Wushu; Rugby – 7; and Cheerleading.

The bowling tournament started in ‘5 Element' bowling center on July 21 with the first six-game block of qualifying. The second six-game block will follow on Sunday with the finals scheduled for Monday, July 23.

Vazhentsev had 1179 pinfall total to lead the men's division by one pin, with Mark Spiteri in second at 1178. Mishchenko rolled the sole 1200-plus series of the tournament thus far to lead the women's division with 1224 total pinfall and an average of 204.00.