Minah Kim (right) takes a commemorative photo after defeating Slong in the women’s final of the ‘2024 Haitai Crown PBA Championship’ held at ‘Kintex PBA Stadium’ in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do on the 25th. PBA
In the women’s professional billiards (PBA) division, Minah Kim (Nonghyup Card NH) ‘Cambodia Express’ stopped Throng Piavi (Blue One Resort) from becoming the all-time wins leader. In particular, the victory was more valuable because it was achieved by fighting painkillers for acute pyeloneitis.
Minah defeated Kim Srong with a set score of 4 to 1 (8:11, 11:10, 11:0, 11:2, 11:7) in the women’s final of the Haitai Crown PBA Championship 2024 held in ‘Goyang’ . KINTEX PBA Stadium’ was pressed in Gyeonggi-do on the 25th. He won 20 million won in prize money and rose to first place in the season prize money rankings (63.45 million won).
This is the second win of the season. Kim Min-ah defeated ‘Billiards Empress’ Kim Ga-young (Hana Card) in the Blue One Resort Championship, the opening match of this season, and rose to the top, and this time, she won the championship by overcoming Throng. This is his third career win, including the Hana Card Championship, the second outing of the 2022-23 season.
On this day, Minah Kim broke the records in the women’s final. He posted an innings average of 1.444 points, surpassing the 1.379 points set by Lim Jeong-sook (Haitai Crown) in the 7th tour of the 2019-20 season (Welcome Savings Bank Wellbang Championship), setting the highest average ever.
In addition to the high scoring power, the match time was also the shortest among all the finals. Minah Kim finished the game in 97 minutes on this day, setting the fastest time record in the Huons Championship, the 5th tour of this season, beating Gayoung Kim’s 103 minutes by 6 minutes.
Above all, it was a victory even though he was not in normal physical condition. Minah Kim played while taking painkillers due to suspected acute pyeloneitis early in the competition. After the match, Minah Kim said, “After finishing the first match of the tournament (round of 64), I was sleeping at night, but the pain in my body got worse between 3 and 4 am. I went to the hospital and they said it looked like ‘acute pyelonephritis.’ “While I was waiting, the competition continued and I continued to take painkillers and play,” he admitted.
Minah Kim’s game appearance. PBA
Even Slong, who tried to win a record eight games, had the mental strength and athleticism to admire. Srong admitted that she was defeated, saying, “I didn’t think Kim Min-ah was in such bad shape,” and “It’s really amazing that Kim Min-ah was able to concentrate so well even when she was sick.”
About this day’s final, Minah Kim said, “I’m not sure if it was because I wasn’t in good physical condition, but my body started to warm up in the middle of the first set.” However, he said with a smile, “It could be because I’m nervous, but given that I’ve had good results, I don’t think it’s because I’m sick.” He added, “The pain has subsided a bit, and I think I’ve started the recovery phase.”
Slong got off to a good start. In the first set, Srong scored 5 points with two bank shots in the first inning, and even in the 9th inning when he was down 6 to 8, he scored 5 points to take the lead. As the winner of the women’s division, the most with 7 times, he showed his determination to match the men’s division Frederic Caudron (Belgium), who has the most victories in the entire PBA (8 times).
However, Minah Kim showed strength from the second set. Although they were behind by 5 to 10, they scored 2 runs in a row starting in the 10th over to bring the game back to square one.
Minah Kim then won the 3rd set 11-0 in 5 innings, and in the 4th set, she completely set the tone by scoring an astonishing 9 points in 4 innings. In the 5th set, Minah Kim turned the tide with a game-high 6 runs, including a 3-cushion bank shot, in the 5th inning when she was down 3 to 6, and ended the game with an onside kick in the 7th inning.
Minah Kim’s victory ceremony scene. PBA
Another win against Srong. In the final of the Hana Card Championship in the 2022-23 season, Minah Kim made a dramatic comeback victory by winning the third set after trailing by a set score of 1 to 3 against Slong. In the opening match of this season, Minah Kim won after a close battle with Gayoung Kim in a full set.
Regarding this, Minah Kim said, “It’s not good for the player, but many people say, ‘Strong against the strong and the weak against the weak.’ So I thought I would be able to do better as I progressed to the higher rounds of the competition.” He added, “I went into the final with the mindset that I would hit my ball, no matter who my opponent was.”
Now, I am determined to become an absolute powerhouse. Minah Kim said, “I heard that Srong was aiming for the most wins, and I thought I had to stop him so I could catch up quickly,” and vowed, “I intend to catch up with the most wins within 1-2 years.” He continued, “The more wins you have, the better you are evaluated as a player,” and added, “Srong, Kim Ga-young (6 times), and Lim Jeong-sook (5 times) are representative players with many of victories. , and I want to follow that path quickly.”
To this end, Minah Kim aims to be the king of the season. The ‘SK Rent-a-Car World Championship’ will be held in Jeju next month. Minah Kim said with a meaningful smile, “Last season, team captain Jaeho Cho won the opening game, the last regular tour, and the world championship. I want to follow in his footsteps.” He continued, “I hope you take good care of your body and never lose your smile on the beautiful island of Jeju.”
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