WTBA World Tenpin Bowling Championships
The World Tenpin Bowling Championships is a global event that invites all countries that are members of the World Bowling to participate.
Event details and history
The event is held every two years and is split into 2 separate tournaments, one for men and one for women. These events are held alternately every year in different countries. Until 2005, the two events were always played at the same time, however, due to the growth of the championships in recent years it was decided to split the event up into separate men's and women's championships.
Players compete for medals in 6 different categories. Every bowler plays 24 games with 6 games in each category. The top 3 in each of the following categories are awarded medals:
- Singles
- Doubles
- Trios
- Team Event
After the conclusion of these events, the all-events medals are presented to the top 3 bowlers who have accumulated the most pinfall over the 24 games. This category is regarding as the most prestigious medal in world bowling.
The final medals are decided in the Masters category. The Masters event now comprises the top 24 bowlers from the all-events category. Top 24 bowlers bowl 6 games of qualifying with all-events pinfall carried over, with the top 8 after 30 games advancing to the next round. The next round of the masters is a round robin match play with 20 bonus pins for a win and 10 bonus pins for a tie. The top 4 with the highest pinfall total plus bonus pins advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the number one seed bowls the fourth seed and the second seed bowls the third seed. Semifinal matches are one game matches. The semifinal losers will share the bronze medal. The finals are a one-game match between the semifinal winners to determine the gold and silver medalists.
Format
The format for the Championships has changed many times throughout its history. In the early years of the championships, men competed in 4 different categories, Doubles, 4-man team, 8-man team and masters. Up until 1963 women did not participate in the event. The first year that women did take part, they competed in 4 different categories, doubles, four-person team (European Style), four-person team (American Style) and masters. This is the only time the "European Style" has been used in the championships. In the following championships the European style four-person team was replaced with the five-person team event (American Style) and was used until 1979. Since 1979 both men and women have competed in the same categories that are used in the championships today. The masters event has only recently changed with the onset of the championships splitting into 2 different events. Up until 2005 the top 16 would bowl a 16-game Round Robin with the top 3 bowlers after the 16 games advancing through to a stepladder final. From 2005 to 2011, the masters was played using the matchplay style, best of 5 format. Beginning in 2013, the top 24 men and women in All-Events advanced to the Masters event. All players will bowl six games with the All-Events total carried forward. The top 8 after 30 games advance to seven games of round robin match play, where 20 bonus points are awarded for a won match and 10 bonus points for a tied match. The top 4 advance to the semifinals, which is a one-game match, 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3. The semifinal losers will earn a bronze medal. The semifinal winners advance to a one-game final match to determine gold and silver medals.
Dual pattern format
Since 2005 the championships have adopted the "dual pattern format" lane conditions, more commonly known as the "short" and "long" lane patterns. The "short" pattern is oiled to approximately 35 feet from the foul line and the "long" oiled to approximately 45 feet from the foul line. Each bowler at the championships will bowl an equal amount of games on the 2 patterns. In the masters, each match is played on alternating lane patterns with the highest seed having the choice of which pattern to start on.
The concept of having 2 different lane patterns is to force the bowlers to be more versatile in the championships. The 2 different lane patterns forces the bowlers to attack each pattern from different angles, using different styles of play, such as ball speed, hand position and ball choice. It has been argued that in previous championships around the world, using 1 pattern for the whole event would suit certain bowlers over others, which was deemed as being unfair. It was agreed that having 2 different lane conditions would be a fairer way of determining the best bowlers at the championships. Many other championships around the world have also adopted this format, such as the Men's and Women's European Championships, the Asian Games, the World Ranking Masters, The Commonwealth Championships and the Asian Championships.
Medal history
Women's medal table[1]
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 25 | 25 | 23 | 73 |
2 | ![]() | 14 | 8 | 11 | 33 |
3 | ![]() | 6 | 12 | 8 | 26 |
4 | ![]() | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
5 | ![]() | 4 | 6 | 8 | 18 |
6 | ![]() | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 |
7 | ![]() | 4 | 5 | 6 | 15 |
8 | ![]() | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
9 | ![]() | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
10 | ![]() | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
11 | ![]() | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
12 | ![]() | 3 | 1 | 9 | 13 |
13 | ![]() | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
14 | ![]() | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
15 | ![]() | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
16 | ![]() | 1 | 7 | 6 | 14 |
17 | ![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
18 | ![]() | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
19 | ![]() | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
20 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
=21 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
=21 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
=21 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
=21 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
=21 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
=21 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Men's medal table[2]
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 28 | 22 | 20 | 70 |
2 | ![]() | 19 | 12 | 11 | 42 |
3 | ![]() | 11 | 16 | 14 | 41 |
4 | ![]() | 8 | 7 | 15 | 30 |
5 | ![]() | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
6 | ![]() | 5 | 1 | 6 | 12 |
7 | ![]() | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
8 | ![]() | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
9 | ![]() | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
10 | ![]() | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
11 | ![]() | 2 | 5 | 8 | 15 |
12 | ![]() | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
13 | ![]() | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
14 | ![]() | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
15 | ![]() | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
16 | ![]() | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
17 | ![]() | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
18 | ![]() | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
19 | ![]() | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
20 | ![]() | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
21 | ![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
22 | ![]() | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
23 | ![]() | 0 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
24 | ![]() | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
=25 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
=25 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
=25 | ![]() | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
- ↑ Women's Medal Standings Archived May 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Men's Medal Standings Archived May 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
Medal winners
Please see List of WTBA World Tenpin Bowling Championships medalists.
World Championship Records
Men
Category | Record | Player | Country | Event | Year/Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Individual Records | |||||
Individual Game | 300 | Rick Steelsmith | ![]() |
Trios | 1987, Helsinki, Finland ![]() |
Rolando Sebelen Sr. | ![]() |
Doubles | 1999, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() | ||
Steve Thornton | ![]() |
Doubles | |||
Andres Gomez | ![]() |
Doubles | |||
Ahmed Shaheen | ![]() |
Trios | |||
Amedeo Spada | ![]() |
Singles | 2003, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ![]() | ||
Anders Öhman | ![]() |
Doubles | |||
Darren Cundy | ![]() |
Team | |||
Kimmo Lehtonen | ![]() |
(Make-up) Team | |||
Martin Larsen | ![]() |
Round Robin | |||
Antonis Evaggelidis | ![]() |
Trios | 2006, Busan, South Korea ![]() | ||
Bill Hoffman | ![]() |
Team | |||
Biboy Rivera | ![]() |
Masters Final | |||
Pasi Uotila | ![]() |
Singles | 2010, Munich, Germany ![]() | ||
Chris Barnes | ![]() |
Singles | |||
Bodo Konieczny | ![]() |
Singles | 2013, Henderson, United States ![]() | ||
Luis Eduardo Rovaina | ![]() |
Singles | |||
Bill O'Neill | ![]() |
Singles | |||
Chris Barnes | ![]() |
Doubles | |||
Park Jong-Woo | ![]() |
Doubles | |||
Tore Torgersen | ![]() |
Trios | |||
Achim Grabowski | ![]() |
Team | |||
Hareb Al Mansoori | ![]() |
Team | |||
Ricardo Lecuona | ![]() |
Team | |||
Individual 3 Game Series | 826 | Kimmo Lehtonen | ![]() |
Singles | 1999, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() |
Individual 6 Game Series | 1541 | Jason Belmonte | ![]() |
Doubles | 2006, Busan, South Korea ![]() |
Individual 24 Game All-Events | 5635 | Tore Torgersen | ![]() |
1999, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() | |
Singles Records | |||||
Singles - 1 Game | 300 | Amedeo Spada | ![]() |
2003, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ![]() | |
Pasi Uotila | ![]() |
2010, Munich, Germany ![]() | |||
Chris Barnes | ![]() | ||||
Bodo Konieczny | ![]() |
2013, Henderson, United States ![]() | |||
Luis Eduardo Rovaina | ![]() | ||||
Bill O'Neill | ![]() | ||||
Singles - 3 Games | 826 | Kimmo Lehtonen | ![]() |
1999, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() | |
Singles - 6 Games | 1524 | Remy Ong | ![]() |
2006, Busan, South Korea ![]() | |
Doubles Records | |||||
Doubles - 1 Game | 599 | Jaime Monroy Andres Gomez |
![]() |
1999, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() | |
Doubles - 3 Games | 1514 | Tomas Leandersson Anders Öhman |
![]() |
2003, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ![]() | |
Doubles - 6 Games | 2906 | Tomas Leandersson Anders Öhman |
![]() |
2003, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ![]() | |
Trios Records | |||||
Trios - 1 Game | 778 | Antti-Pekka Lax Lasse Lintilä Ari Halme |
![]() |
1999, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() | |
Trios - 3 Games | 2196 | Bill O'Neill Chris Barnes Tommy Jones |
![]() |
2010, Munich, Germany ![]() | |
Trios - 6 Games | 4144 | Mike Fagan Sean Rash Marshall Kent |
![]() |
2014, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() | |
Team Records | |||||
Team - 1 Game | 1309 | Mario Quintero Luis Kassian Ricardo Lecuona Roberto Silva Alejandro Cruz |
![]() |
2013, Henderson, United States ![]() | |
Team - 3 Games | 3563 | Park Jong-Woo Choi Bok-Eum Hong Hae-Sol Shin Seungh-Yeon Kim Kyung-Min |
![]() |
2014, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() | |
Team - 6 Games | 6917 | Park Jong-Woo Kang Hee-Won Choi Bok-Eum Hong Hae-Sol Shin Seungh-Yeon Kim Kyung-Min |
![]() |
2014, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() |
Women
Category | Record | Player | Country | Event | Year/Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Individual Records | |||||
Individual Game | 300 | Cha Mi-Jung | ![]() |
Trios | 1999, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() |
Kim Yeau-Jin | ![]() |
Doubles | 2007, Monterrey, Mexico ![]() | ||
Kirsten Penny | ![]() |
Team | |||
María Rodríguez | ![]() |
Doubles | 2009, Las Vegas, United States ![]() | ||
Kelly Kulick | ![]() |
Singles | 2011, ![]() | ||
Caroline Lagrange | ![]() |
Trios | |||
Shannon O'Keefe | ![]() |
Trios | |||
Britt Brøndsted | ![]() |
Team | |||
Shayna Ng | ![]() |
Masters 1st Round | |||
Shannon Pluhowsky | ![]() |
Masters Finals | |||
Kelly Kulick | ![]() |
Doubles Semifinals | 2013, Henderson, United States ![]() | ||
Joan Gonzalez | ![]() |
Doubles | 2015, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() | ||
Karen Marcano | ![]() |
Team | |||
Liz Johnson | ![]() |
Team Finals | |||
Masters Step 2 | |||||
Danielle McEwan | ![]() |
Masters Step 2 | |||
Individual 3 Game Series | 812 | Jacqueline Sijore | ![]() |
Singles | 2011, ![]() |
Individual 6 Game Series | 1601 | Shayna Ng | ![]() |
Singles | 2011, ![]() |
Individual 24 Game All-Events | 5744 | Mai Ginge Jensen | ![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Singles Records | |||||
Singles - 1 Game | 300 | Kelly Kulick | ![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Singles - 3 Games | 812 | Jacqueline Sijore | ![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Singles - 6 Games | 1601 | Shayna Ng | ![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Doubles Records | |||||
Doubles - 1 Game | 556 | Carolyn Dorin-Ballard Kelly Kulick |
![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Doubles - 3 Games | 1536 | Carolyn Dorin-Ballard Kelly Kulick |
![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Doubles - 6 Games | 2901 | Carolyn Dorin-Ballard Kelly Kulick |
![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Trios Records | |||||
Trios - 1 Game | 802 | Stefanie Nation Shannon Pluhowsky Shannon O'Keefe |
![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Trios - 3 Games | 2165 | Esther Cheah Zandra Aziela Jacqueline Sijore |
![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Trios - 6 Games | 4232 | Hwang Sun-Ok Jeon Eun-Hee Son Yun-Hee |
![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Team Records | |||||
Team - 1 Game | 1262 | Nadine Geisler Vanessa Timter Juliane Rieger Birgit Pöppler Patricia Luoto |
![]() |
2011, ![]() | |
Team - 3 Games | 3491 | Stefanie Nation Missy Parkin Shannon O'Keefe Kelly Kulick Liz Johnson |
![]() |
2013, Henderson, United States ![]() | |
Jeon Eun-Hee Son Hye-Rin Kim Jin-Sun Jung Da-Wun Baek Seung-Ja |
![]() |
2015, Abu Dhabi, UAE ![]() | |||
Team - 6 Games | 6750 | Nadine Geisler Vanessa Timter Juliane Rieger Janine Ribguth Birgit Pöppler Patricia Luoto |
![]() |
2011, ![]() |
Previous & future championships
From 2005 the Men's and Women's Championships have been held as separate events on alternating years. 2013 saw a return of the combined World Championships, the first since 2003. The combined World Championships will be held every four years starting with the 2013 edition. World Bowling has announced that Kuwait City will host the combined World Championships in 2017, Hong Kong to host the Men's World Championships in 2018, and Las Vegas to host the Women's World Championships in 2019.
A new event, WTBA World Singles Championships for men and women, was held for the first time in Limassol, Cyprus from September 18–26, 2012 and will be held subsequently every four years. With this new event, WTBA will stage a world championship event every year.
External links
- World Bowling Website
- Official Website of the Asian Bowling Federation
- Official European Tenpin Bowling Federation website
- Official Website Pan American Bowling Federation
- Bowlingdigital.com, Tenpin news website
- Talktenpin.co.uk, Tenpin news website