JOHANN CHUA and US 9-ball champion Carlo Biado finish 1-2 in the Men’s 9-Ball Singles of Billiards in the 31st SEA Games. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ JUN MENDOZA
HANOI — Johann Chua pounced on two stunning miscues by reigning US Open champion Carlo Biado en route to a 9-6 victory and crowned himself the new 9-ball billiards champion on Wednesday in the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
The 9-ball gold was the second for Pinoy cue artists, with Rubilen Amit winning the women’s side of the event last Tuesday, beating Jessica Chan of Singapore 7-2.
Mr. Biado was favored to rule the all-Filipino finals but missed what seemed as makeable shots in the 12th and 15th racks, to the horror of the big crowd at the Hadong District Sporting Hall.
Trailing 5-6 in the 12th, Mr. Biado, 39, failed to pocket the 9-ball, smiling after his miscue. He also failed to sink the 8-ball three racks later, with Mr. Chua gamely taking over both times to win his first SEA Games gold.
Mr. Biado, who failed in his bid to reclaim the title he won in the 2017 Games, raised the hand of the 29-year-old Mr. Chua after the match, gamely accepting his defeat for the silver medal.
Mr. Biado reached the finals after beating Singapore’s top player, Aloysius Yapp, 9-7 in the semifinals.
Mr. Chua settled for a pair of bronze medals in the past two editions of the biennial meet.