Cho, with 3 World Cup wins abroad, beats Park Soo-young in final
Women's title goes to Park Se-jeong in comeback after 5 months
World No. 1 Cho Myung-woo claimed the carom 3-cushion title at the 21st Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Cup 2026 National Billiards Championship, reaffirming his status as the sport's dominant force.
The tournament was held in Yanggu-gun, Gangwon Province, in conjunction with the 2026 Yanggu World 3-Cushion Billiards World Cup. Top domestic players carried the momentum from the international event into the national competition.
In the men's 3-cushion final, Cho defeated Park Soo-young of the Gangwon Billiards Federation 50-36. Both players had also competed in the Yanggu World Cup. Cho seized control by scoring 25 points across 10 innings in the second half after the break, then managed the remainder of the match steadily to seal the victory.
Having already claimed three titles on the international World Cup circuit this year, Cho added a second domestic tournament win of the season. The victory capped a strong campaign across both domestic and international stages, with Cho closing out the season's final all-around championship with a title.
In the women's 3-cushion final, Park Se-jeong defeated Jeon Jeong-bin of Gumi High School Broadcasting and Communications High School 25-12. Park had also beaten Jeon in the final of the Jindo Arirang Cup earlier in the season, winning again in a rematch.
Park had previously strung together seven consecutive tournament wins through the 2026 Namwon National Billiards Championship but had been unable to reach the top of the podium since. The title ended a roughly five-month drought and gave Park a satisfying finish to the season's final all-around competition.
Lee Beom-yeol of the Siheung City Sports Council and Choi Wan-yeong of the Gwangju Billiards Federation shared third place in the men's 3-cushion event, while Heo Chae-won of the Seoul Billiards Federation and Jeong Su-in of the Anyang Billiards Federation shared third in the women's.
In the pocket billiards events, Seo Seo-a of the Incheon Metropolitan City Sports Council won the women's title and Lee Dae-gyu of the Seoul Metropolitan Government team took the men's.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
