“Tashkent Open-2018”: Results and Comments
In April, the 5th anniversary bowling tournament called “Tashkent Open-2018” was held in the capital of Uzbekistan. Apart from loud applause and intense rivalry, the audience witnessed bright debuts by the city guests and new records set by the hosts of the competition.
The geography of the tournament was expanded, and players from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Israel have become regular participants of the event. All the guests were impressed by their visit.
The locals showed true hospitality when hosting guests in the city; however, the local players did not lose the palm to the guests. Representatives of Uzbekistan made it to the finals for the first time in the history of the Tashkent Open.
The winner was Ivan Semenov from Russia, who had to compete with his compatriot Andrey Suslov (he became the second) and the local bowlers (Bakhtiyor Dalabaev and Ravshan Abdusamadov) whom the public supported eagerly. They took the third and fourth places in the playoff.
Achievements and main results
It took Semenov three years to win the gold medal on the Tashkent tracks as each time he could only reach the final stages. In 2016, he won the silver medal, and in 2017 he became the fourth. Meanwhile his compatriot Suslov was the winner of the first “Tashkent Open”, which took place back in 2014. Last year, he was just one step away from the first place and ended up on the second place.
Dalabayev won the bronze medal and set a historic record among domestic bowlers. Up to this moment, the highest achievement among Uzbek athletes in the “Tashkent Open” also belonged to Bakhtiyor (5th place in 2016). In the top 20 players were also Bekzod Tukhtaniyazov (7th place), Bakhodir Arifov (11), Elena Kasymova (13), Olim Mukhtarov (14), Fazliddin Mirjalilov (16), Tatyana Lefter (18).
Awards for the best results were given to the hosts of the competition. The best blocks on the first and third game days belonged to Dalabayev, on the second day – to Abdusamadov; the best game of the tournament was played by Tukhtayazov (268 points).
A few words from the winner!
Ivan Semenov (champion from Russia) says: “I’ve been practicing a lot lately, so I was able to achieve a very good shape. Andrey is my friend, and we often meet on the tracks in final matches. There was no sharp rivalry between us, but, naturally, each of us always strives to win. In this case, the victory belongs to me.
I always come to Tashkent with great pleasure. The host party offers great conditions for professional players – a fully-equipped club, tracks. Event organizers take care of everything, and we all want to thank them for it! Every year, local bowlers raise their level of skills, and their progress is obvious. The presence of two representatives in the finals (given the participant list) is a great achievement.”
Opinions from hosts
Hondamir Shaabdurakhmanov (Secretary General of the Uzbekistan Pin Sport Federation): “I want to express special gratitude to the staff of JOY Bowling Club, who function as a single mechanism. There were no time delays. The tournament brought together professional players, who took the highest places. Also, I am pleased that our bowlers showed great results. In general, our athletes have started playing more confidently; if they lose to someone, they still show good results, while it used to be just the reverse earlier. This is the main achievement.”
Mahmut Iskhakov (main referee of “Tashkent Open”): “Every year the staff of the bowling club acquires new experience, which it successfully applies to organizing new events. The team always analyzes its work carefully, which allows them to raise the mark from year to year and meet the requirements of both organizers and participants. At the moment, “Tashkent Open” has a reputation of a serious tournament not only in the CIS but also in many European countries.”
Comments from visitors
Guests of the event, who watched the tournament for the first time, also expressed a positive opinion.
Nathan Volpert (Israel): “Here I met beautiful and kind people and saw a marvelous city. I also want to note that the food was excellent – I am so pleasured with my visit to Uzbekistan. I came here with my father, who also practices this sport, and we are absolutely delighted with the organization of the tournament. I can evaluate the bowling center quite positively. I will do my best to return here in 2019. I will try to come back with a large number of bowlers from Israel.
I am impressed by the level of Uzbek bowlers. Many of them have the skills. I was impressed by Ravshan Abdusamadov’s game and the technique shown by one young athlete whose name I, unfortunately, don’t remember. Track condition in this tournament is quite complex, but this only makes the competition more exciting.”
Vadim Koryakov (President of the Bowling Federation of the Tyumen Region): “In February, a major international tournament was held in Tyumen, in which bowlers from Uzbekistan also participated. We have set the task to get acquainted with the federations of other countries and their athletes in order to get more information about interesting tournaments. Back then, many people advised us to visit Tashkent and claimed that there were many professional athletes and a good club. So, this is how we met your representatives in Tyumen and agreed on this visit.
We received a warm welcome and visited some excursions. We liked the JOY club, because it has the best temperature, it offers quality pins and tracks, and the organization of the event is at a high level. We were impressed by several of your players – Dalabayev, Tuychiyev, and Abdusamadov. We have decided that we will come here next year. This time, our player took the 10th place in the general classification, but next year we will try to get higher.”
This tournament was the first international experience for the representatives of the Bowling Federation of the Tyumen region. They had a chance to test their strength before the Russian championship, which took place in early May in St. Petersburg.
It is curious that the team from Tyumen could arrive in Tashkent without one of their players. It could have happened if the founder and CEO of the Brooklyn Bowl, Artem Rakhmeyev, had not noticed the absence of his passport right at the airport. He confessed that he had to go home to get it and then go back to the airport as rapidly as possible to catch his flight.
Artem said: “I want to note that tournament regulations were well-thought-out, and its aspects allowed each participant to show themselves to the fullest. Everything proceeded without fuss, which ensured the athletes could concentrate on the game. All names were listed on monitors, which is not always done during other major competitions. If there were technical or other minor problems, the staff of the club would quickly eliminate them. From a technical point of view, the competition was held at the highest level, and I really mean it. I have a rich experience, since we have participated in many Russian tournaments. The tournament in Tashkent was one of the best bowling events.”
P.S.
“Tashkent Open” partially coincided with the schedule of other major tournaments held in Voronezh and St. Petersburg. It’s no secret that playing at each of these major tournaments is physically challenging. Any athlete needs time to recover, so about 15-20 top-level bowlers from Russia could not participate in the event.
Nevertheless, participation of eminent athletes and competent organization of the competition attract more and more participants every year. This is evidenced by the fact that the “Tashkent Open” has been included in the official calendar of World Bowling. The tournament has regular participants – Gennady Vologin, Ruslan Ekkel, and Ilya Orlov from Kazakhstan, Pavel Sobolev from Belarus, Jan Korshak, Alexei Drozhbin and Nadusik Korablinova from Russia, Andrey Suslov, Ivan Semenov, and other professionals from the CIS countries. The chronicle of UPSF and JOY Bowling Club was enriched with new names, and next year even more players are expected to come.
