Report – Martin Schmidt wins 8th Austrian Billiards Championship title

Vienna’s Martin Schmidt (HSEBC), who was also crowned the best player of the past season, secured his eighth Austrian Billiards Championship title. In the final against Christian Pleschko from Wels, he achieved a century break of 102 points.

After an expected opening-round victory against Florian Bruckner from Wels (PSSC), Schmidt faced the only other former national champion in the tournament field, Patrick Stegmeier from ABC in Vienna, in the semifinals. Stegmeier had won the Austrian Billiards Championship in 2011, and the two long-time rivals had also contested the finals of the previous two championships. This time, the decisive clash for the tournament victory came earlier, in the semifinals, where Schmidt once again prevailed to reach the final.

His opponent in the final was Christian Pleschko (Upper Austria, PSSC), who had secured his place after victories over Women’s Snooker Champion Stephanie Doležal (Vienna, HSEBC) and clubmate Patrick Russ, who had earlier defeated Josef Elias Wimmer (also PSSC) in the opening round. Pleschko entered the final as the underdog on paper.

P. Stegmeier, M. Schmidt, C. Pleschko

Stegmeier, who had won his opening match against Carl Walter Steiner (Vienna, HSEBC), eventually secured the bronze medal by a narrow margin of four points. The match took a dramatic turn around the halfway mark, at which point Stegmeier had built a lead of over 100 points.

The final, however, was a one-sided affair from the start. Schmidt effectively sealed his victory with the tournament’s highest break, which he made before the halfway stage. Christian Pleschko took home the silver medal, which marked a great achievement and a strong conclusion to his season.

Referees for the event included Erich Pließnig, who officiated the final, and ÖSBV President Christian Fock, who also acted as tournament director.

Results | Austrian Billiards Championship | 2024 Season