Germany's Franziska Czech and France's Maxime Dubois wins the prestigious European Championship of Champions 2024.
In an exciting final at the Bowling National Center in Bratislava, Slovakia, Czech secured her victory by defeating Ireland's Hannah Masterson 2-1 (268-228, 235-247, 234-206) to claim the women’s title. Meanwhile, Dubois faced off against Sweden's Adam Andersson, winning 2-0 (238-237, 213-194).
The semifinals were packed with intense moments. In the women’s event, the talented 23-year-old right-hander Czech squared off against Slovenia's Eva Krafogel, whom she had also defeated in the European Women’s Bowling Championships earlier this year. Czech showcased her skills by winning the first two matches (219-148, 201-196), earning her spot in the finals.
On the other side, Masterson, the no. 4 seed after qualification, pulled off an impressive upset by knocking out Mixed Doubles champion and qualification leader Verity Crawley from England. Despite losing the first game 186-246, Masterson bounced back with a strong 229-212 win and sealed her victory in the final game 225-183.
In the men's semifinals, Maxime Dubois proved his strength by defeating Romania’s Mihai Alin Dragnia 2-0 (249-214, 248-225). The other semifinal was filled with drama, as qualification leader Hadley Morgan of England faced off against Andersson. Morgan started strong, winning the first game (246-194), but Andersson fought back, winning the next two games (194-246, 229-217, 223-205) to secure his place in the final.
This year’s European Championship of Champions brought together 75 competitors (38 men and 37 women) from 37 countries, competing fiercely from October 19th to October 26th, 2024, at the Bowling National Center in Bratislava.
Final ECC2024 Standings:
Women’s Event:
1st Place: Franziska Czech (Germany)
2nd Place: Hannah Masterson (Ireland)
3rd Place: Verity Crawley (England) & Eva Krafogel (Slovenia)
Men’s Event:
1st Place: Maxime Dubois (France)
2nd Place: Adam Andersson (Sweden)
3rd Place: Hadley Morgan (England) & Mihai Alin Dragnia (Romania)
Mixed Doubles Event:
1st Place: Verity Crawley & Hadley Morgan (England)
2nd Place: Kristína Šramková & Dávid Barak (Slovakia)
3rd Place: Jenny Wegner & Adam Andersson (Sweden)
