Pontus Andersson from Sweden clinched the title at the 14th Kuwait International Open.
Andersson initially finished 19th in the qualification round with a total score of 3375 (averaging 225). He then progressed successfully to the first and second final rounds.
With only the top 16 competitors remaining, the Swede scored a total of 1116 in five games, with an average score of 223.2. This performance placed him as the top seed in the stepladder finals.
Despite Sweden's decision to abstain from the World Championships, Swedish athletes exhibited a strong presence and performance in Kuwait.
In the stepladder finals, which followed a 'beat twice' format, Pontus Andersson faced off against his compatriot William Svensson.
On his way to the stepladder final, Svensson had defeated Aseel Alroomi from Kuwait (208-206), Tony Wong from Singapore (214-190), and Aidas Daniūnas from Lithuania (215-166).
In the thrilling stepladder final, Andersson lost the initial game with a score of 154-226. Nevertheless, he staged a comeback in the second game, ultimately securing the championship with a final score of 196-149.
Pontus Andersson's victory in the 14th Kuwait International Open earned him a prize check of $30,000.
In the Women's competition, Juliana Franco claimed the title by defeating Maria Rodriguez with a score of 189-183 in the Colombian stepladder final.
In the Youth event, Abdulrazzaq Mohammad emerged victorious by defeating his fellow countryman Omar Al Saqran with a score of 191-180.
