The prestigious two-day BowlingGP France Jeune 2024 bowling tournament has officially kicked off at Bowling Plaza Saint-Maximin Creil, with four exciting opening squads setting the stage for a thrilling competition.
The competition features individual categories across four age groups: Trifling (Under 14), Younger (Under 17), Junior (Under 20), and Senior (Under 25). Nearly 160 bowlers under the age of 25 are competing in this European Youth Bowling Tour event.
In the youngest category, Denmark’s Niklas Lomholt leads with a total of 1281 pins (213.5 avg.). Close behind are Belgium’s Jef Reusens with 1264 and Ireland's Finn McKeown with 1164, respectively. With one squad left tomorrow, Ireland’s Luk Alexander holds 7th place with 1039 total. The top 7 athletes will advance directly to Final Step 2 tomorrow.
In the Younger age group, French athletes dominate, occupying six of top seven spots. Sam Baron Vittecoq leads with 1376 total (229.33 avg.), followed by Tom Levant in second with 1373 (228.83 avg.) and Raphael Durivault in third with 1346 (224.33 avg.). Belgium's Ilena Brams currently holds the 7th spot with 1267 total.
In the Junior category, the Netherlands’ Milan Scheffer delivered a spectacular performance, scoring the first perfect game of the tournament in Game 3 and narrowly missing another in Game 6. His unbelievable 269.83 avg. not only secured the top spot in the Juniors qualification but also across the entire tournament. This incredible showing set a Dutch national six-game record. France’s Loick Coolen follows with 1528 total (254.67 avg.), while Belgium’s Gabin Roman sits in third with 1485 (247.5 avg.), having scored the third perfect game of the event. France’s Tom Lefebvre is currently in seventh with 1426 total (237.67 avg.).
The Senior category is led by a trio of French bowlers. Theo Roulet tops the standings with 1404 total (234 avg.), followed by Hugo Bonnefoy in second with 1381 (230.17 avg.), and Antoine Rousselot in third with 1360 (226.67 avg.). Tanguy Dupuy of France currently holds the seventh with 1333 total (222.17 avg.), while Florent Chirossel, a local bowler at Bowling Plaza Saint-Maximin and the scorer of the second perfect game, is ninth with 1323 total (220.5 avg.).
The final qualification squad starts tomorrow at 8 AM. In each age group, the top 21 players will advance to the finals. These qualifiers will compete through several stages to crown the ultimate champions of each category.
Full results can be found here. Full tournament pictures can be found here.
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The tournament runs from November 23rd to November 24th.
