– Sébastien Col Beats the UK’s Ian Williams by a Score of 3 to 1 in the Final Match Held on June 15, 2008
– Many New Star Players, including Adam Minoprio and Jesper Radich, Displayed Their Outstanding Skills
– Champion Sébastien Col Expressed Satisfaction Both with Jeongok Marina and with the Official Boat Manufactured by Gyeonggi Province

The Korea Match Cup, the third match of the 2008 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) held at Jeongok Marina, Gyeonggi Province, from June 11 to 15, 2008, has successfully closed. The match attracted international attention, as it saw participation by most of the world’s top players. Sébastien Col from France won the championship by beating Ian Williams (Team Pindar), who is ranked as the world’s No. 1 player.

The prize money awarded at the Korea Match Cup amounted to KRW 300 million, the highest amount awarded in the history of the World Match Racing Tour. Eight out of top ten players in the world participated in the match, making the competition fiercer than in any previous matches. The 1st Korea Match Cup was full of reversals that made the match unexpectedly exciting. First-time visitors to the match race fully enjoyed the games.

Sébastien Col Becomes the World Champion
Although Sébastien Col of the K Challenge/French Match Racing Team was ranked sixth in the last season, he was not the favorite for the championship in this match. As he placed sixth in the previous German Cup, it was expected that he would qualify for the semifinal at best.

Unexpectedly, he placed 2nd in the preliminary match with a record of eight and three, and beat Torvar Mirsky, a new star player from Australia, by a score of two to one. In the semifinal, he prevailed over Jesper Radich by a score of three to one, and got through the finals. He even beat Ian Williams, the world No. 1 ranked player, in the final match, and emerged to compete with Ian Williams, who was aiming to win his second consecutive world championship.

Ian Williams, who ranked 1st in the interim evaluation, had been performing unevenly and was defeated by Wataru Sakamoto from Siesta Team, Japan, in the preliminary match. However, he was beginning to perform like a world champion going through the quarterfinal and semifinal matches. Spectators considered the semifinal match between Ian Williams and Adam Minoprio from Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch Racing to be most exciting match. Although Ian Williams was given a penalty in the semifinal match that lasted until the fifth round, his intense concentration enabled him to beat Adam Minoprio by a score of three to two. Although he took second place in the match, he is still in a favorable position to win the championship for a second consecutive year, as he maintained the interim ranking of No. 1.

Two Emerging Stars, Adam Minoprio and Torvar Mirsky
Adam Minoprio displayed skills that were further improved in this match, ushering in a shift in generations at the World Match Racing Tour. Previously ranked 34th, Adam Minoprio emerged as a new star player when he defeated Ian Williams, a star of the final match, and Paolo Cian, the No. 2 ranked player in the previous season, in the preliminary match. Most notably, he scored a highly unexpected upset victory in the quarterfinal match by beating Mathew Richard from the French Match Racing Team, who had been ranked 1st in the preliminary match, by a score of two to zero. Despite being defeated by Ian Williams in the semifinal match, Adam Minoprio emerged as a strong candidate for the championship by posing a challenge to Ian Williams that lasted until the final round.

Torvar Mirsky from Mirsky Racing Team, Australia, also emerged as a new star. As the youngest player at the match, he successfully qualified for the quarterfinal with a record of seven and four, and beat the world’s top players. Although eventually defeated by Sébastien Col, he provided the most exciting match-up of the quarterfinals, challenging Sébastien Col to the end of the match. Significantly, he also defeated Peter Gilmour from Team PST, who is a legendary Australian player that has been Torvar Mirsk’s idol and mentor since his childhood.

Asia Has a Long Way to Go, but There Is Hope for the Future
Two Asian players took part in the match:Wataru Sakamoto of Japan, who won the Asian preliminary match, and Seungcheol Lim of Korea, who won the Korean preliminary match. Although both of them failed to qualify for the preliminary match, Wataru Sakamoto competed well in matches with the world’s top players, even beating Ian Williams, who is the top ranked player in the world. However, Seungcheol Lim lost all of his matches, showing the gap between the world’s top players and Korean players. This was the first time that a Korean player participated in the World Match Racing Tour.