The men’s final at the
2025 European Championship of Champions
in Vienna came down to the wire, as
France’s Maxime Dubois narrowly missed defending his title
against Lukáš Jelínek of the Czech Republic.
After a strong performance in qualification, where he finished third, Dubois held his ground in the quarterfinals and then defeated Sweden’s Teodor Samuelsson in the semis to advance to the final. There, he won the opening game 235–202 but fell 188–268 and 246–257 in the following two games.
A missed 3-6-9-10 spare in the decisive Game 3 opened the door for Jelínek, who had been chasing throughout the match. Even though Jelínek said that he was realy nervous before the decisive shot, he seized the moment to capture Czech Republic’s second-ever ECC gold medal.
Despite the finish, Dubois remained positive as he reflected on his performance and the experience of returning to the championship final once again in an interview with Erikas Jansonas from BowlingLife.
“In the last frames it was difficult to play on the right. I was the only one
in the final to play on the right and with one hand. The last shot was good,
but I was so tired. I feel happy to my second place, and I feel really happy
for Lukáš winning this tournament.”
The final between Dubois and
Jelínek didn’t feel like a typical high-stakes championship match. Instead, it
had a lighthearted tone as both players exchanged friendly banter, shared
laughs, and even broke into small dance moves.
When
asked about the spirit of the match, Dubois emphasized that it was more of a
friendly rivalry than a tense battle - something both players seemed to enjoy
sharing with the crowd.
“It was a good final. It was funny for everyone to watch. Really positive
emotion for me.”
Although Dubois narrowly missed out on the singles
title, he had already experienced victory earlier in the week. Together with
Solène Goron, he made history by capturing the Mixed Doubles gold, France’s
first-ever ECC title in that event. The win was an emotional highlight that
added extra significance to what was already a strong showing for the French
team in Vienna.
“Wonderful. The first medal for France in Mixed Doubles. I love it. Really
good emotion.”
It was an outstanding European Championship of Champions for Team France. In addition to Dubois’s silver medal, Solène Goron secured fifth place in the women’s division, and Gaëtan Mouveroux matched that result in the men’s competition.
"Did you see the reel one on Instagram? You have to do THAT" Dubois laughed,
referring to the video of the team dancing together. "We are together in the
Airbnb, so only good emotions. No secret - just repeat shot after shot, and
good things will happen.”
Dubois’s attention now turns to the
upcoming
IBF World Championships in Hong Kong, where he and his teammates will aim to bring home a medal for France.
The
event will gather many of the world’s top bowlers, with at least
28 federations in the men’s division
and
23 in the women’s division
expected to send representatives. The
opening ceremony is scheduled for November 24, followed by qualifying rounds and medal matches running through early
December.
