Takeshi Okumura

Takeshi Okumura (奥村 健 Okumura Takeshi) (born April 24, 1952 in Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese professional pool player.

Professional career

He started playing pool at 16 and turned professional ten years later.^[1]

Okumura won the WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 1994, defeating Yasunari Itsuzaki in an all Japanese final. With the win, he became the first Japanese and second Asian to win a world championship in pocket billiards. Until Nick Varner won the title in 1999, Okumura was the oldest champion.

Although he won the world nine-ball crown, Okumura wasn't quite successful in the sport for the next ten years. In 1995, he almost won the International Challenge of Champions but Chao Fong-pang of Taiwan bested him in the last match. He also was closing to winning the US Open Nine-ball Championship in 2000 but lost to Earl Strickland, 5-11, in the finals.^[2] He nearly had a shot for a second world title in 2002 but again was defeated by Earl Strickland in the semis.^[3]

After some less impressive past performances, Okumura showed dominance one last time, in 2005. He defeated Mika Immonen in the finals to win the All Japan Championship, a long-running tournament featuring players from Japan and the rest of the world.^[4]

Titles

• All Japan Championship (1979-1982, 1993, 1995 and 2005)
• Japan Open (1988, 1994, 1995, 1999)
• WPA World Nine-ball Championship (1994)

References

1. Takeshi Okumura Profile (Japanese)
2. "FIVE and ALIVE!". Billiards Digest. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
3. "Lovefest For Strickland In Semis". Billiards Digest. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
4. "Okumura wins his 7th title". Ralf Souquet. Retrieved 2008-08-08.