2000 International Racquetball Federation
X World Championships

San Luis Potosi, Mexico: August 4-12

finals, finishers & teams

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Canada makes History with World Cup Team Win

For the first time in the history of the IRF World Championships (established in 1981), Team Canada has earned the World Cup team title outright. In 1986 -- without a tiebreaking procedure -- the U.S. and Canada had shared the Cup, but today's team round went down to the wire to give Team Canada their victory, following a tiebreaker win by Mike Ceresia and Mike Green over Ruben Gonzalez and Mike Guidry in doubles.

When the U.S. and Canada split in their singles playoffs earlier this afternoon, the doubles matches became crucial. The U.S. women's team of Kersten Hallander and Kim Russell did their best to keep a safe distance in the point spread, but lost the first game of their match to Canada's Amanda Macdonald and Karina Odegard. Later the deciding match became the tiebreaker between Ceresia/Green and Gonzalez/Guidry -- the winning team would clinch the team title with a total number of games won between the two squads. The final tally: Canada-9, USA-8.

Top-ranked Canadian Christie Van Hees earned a grudge match victory over Cheryl Gudinas -- who captured Van Hees' world singles crown earlier in the week -- in a 15-13, 15-13 straight game win to pull Canada to a 2-1 lead in today's playoff. Both players seemed a bit the worse for wear after the full week of play, with Van Hees taking a time out for ice therapy early in the second game, and Gudinas wearing a protective taping to keep her right patella aligned.

Canada's #2 singles player, Brian Istace, came from behind in the opening points of his first two games against Doug Eagle, winning the first 15-8, then dropping the second 15-11. But in the deciding third, Istace was dominant in securing the first win of the day for Team Canada, 11-3.

In the first of six crucial USA vs. Canada matches today, Jackie Paraiso of San Diego, California won her #2 singles match over counterpart Lori-Jane Powell of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in a tiebreaker of 15-7, 10-15, 11-1.

WOMEN'S TEAM FINALS
CAN #1 Christie Van Hees def. USA #1 Cheryl Gudinas 15-13, 15-13
USA #2 Jackie Paraiso def. CAN #2 Lori-Jane Powell 15-7, 10-15, 11-1.
USA Kersten Hallander/Kim Russell def. CAN Amanda MacDonald/Karina Odegard 9-15, 15-7, 11-6

MEN'S TEAM FINALS
USA #1 Rocky Carson def. CAN #1 Kane Waselenchuk 15-13, 14-15, 11-6
CAN #2 Brian Istace def. USA #2 Doug Eagle 15-8, 11-15, 11-3
CAN Mike Ceresia/Mike Green def. USA Ruben Gonzalez/Mike Guidry 15-8, 14-15, 11-6

Individual World Titles Awarded

The individual competition concluded on Tuesday, August 8, at the International Racquetball Federation's 10th World Championships in San Lois Potosi, Mexico, with the USA sweeping the women's gold medals, while Mexico captured its first world titles in men's action.

Host country Mexico made history by winning its first world championship title in not one, but two gold medal finals and sweeping the men's divisions. Mexico's Alvaro Beltran, seeded No.7, logged impressive wins over numerous top-ranked players en route to the finals, then capped his string of upsets by defeating the USA's Rocky Carson, of Santa Maria, Calif.. Top-seeded Carson lost the first game to Beltran, 15-10, but came back to win the second 15-12 and force the tiebreaker. However, the home crowd motivated Beltran to the 11-6 tiebreaker victory, and his country's first World Championship gold medal.

The Mexican men's doubles team quickly followed in their teammate's footsteps. Luis Bustillos and Javier Moreno, both former World Intercollegiate champions, handed the USA a devastating loss, as they defeated Ruben Gonzalez (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Mike Guidry (Carrollton, Texas) in two straight games, 15-13, 15-10.

The women's singles gold medal match paired off North American rivals Canada's Christie Van Hees and the USA's Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.). The two last faced off in the finals of the 1999 Pan American Games, where Gudinas captured the gold medal in a controversial 11-10 tiebreaker.

As the reigning world champion, Van Hees started off with a powerful first game, winning 15-7, however Gudinas managed to squeak out a 15-14 second-game victory to force a tiebreaker. As at the Pan Am Games, the two fierce rivals battled to an 11-10 tiebreaker, with Gudinas once again pulling out the win. The victory gives Gudinas, 33, her first world championship singles title.

The USA's women's doubles team of Kersten Hallander (San Diego, Calif.) and Kim Russell (Austin, Texas) was also victorious in their gold medal match, defeating Canada's Amanda MacDonald and Karina Odegard. However, just as their teammate did, the USA duo dropped the first game, 15-11, but rallied back in the second, winning 15-5. Their momentum carried into the tiebreaker, where Hallander and Russell took the gold medal, 11-7. This marks the first world championship title for both women. Hallander was a silver medalist in singles at the last World Championships in 1998.

The USA's Jackie Paraiso (El Cajon, Calif.) took the bronze medal in women's singles, while teammate Doug Eagle (Houston, Texas) lost the men's bronze to Canada's Brian Istace. The Canadian men also captured the doubles bronze medal. The Bolivian women defeated the Pan Am Games bronze medalist from Chile in the women's doubles to capture the bronze.

The athletes will take Wednesday off to rest before beginning the World Cup competition, where each player's performance is crucial in earning points for their country. The USA has won the World Cup every year, except for 1986 when they shared the World Cup title with Canada.

final gold medal matches

Mens Singles -- Alvaro Beltran, Tijuana (Mexico) d. Rocky Carson, Santa Maria, CA (USA) 15-10; 12-15; 11-6
Womens Singles -- Cheryl Gudinas, Lisle, IL (Canada) d. Christie Van Hees, BC (Canada) 7-15; 15-14; 11-10
Men's Doubles -- Luis Bustillos/Javier Moreno (Mexico) d. Ruben Gonzalez/Mike Guidry (USA) 15-13; 15-10
Women's Doubles -- Kersten Hallander/Kim Russell d. Amanda Macdonald/Karina Odegard (Canada) 11-15; 15-5; 11-7

top finishers

MEN'S SINGLES GOLD
Alvaro Beltran (Mexico)
Rocky Carson (USA)
Brian Istace (Canada)
Doug Eagle (USA)
Matthew Anderson (Belize)
Gilberto Mejia (Mexico)
Jorge Hirsekorn (Venezuela)
Kane Waselenchuk (Canada)

Shai Manzuri (Argentina)
Ralf Reinhard (Venezuela)
Pablo Fajre (Chile)
Darren Strengers (Australia)
Martin Klippel (Germany)
Yoshihiko Higashi (Japan)
Fabian Balmori (Spain)
Rob DeJesus (Puerto Rico)

Men's Singles, Blue
Sakai Shoichi (Japan)
Dong-Min Jang (Korea)
Curtis Winter (Puerto Rico)
German Coppolecchia (Argentina)

Men's Singles, Red
Ricardo Monroy (Bolivia)
Simon Perdomo (Dominican Republic)
Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala)
Yamil Isaias (Dominican Republic)

Men's Singles, White
Rick Meno (Guam)
John Edwards (Jamaica)
Sunny Osagie (Nigeria)
Tony Onimole (Nigeria)

WOMEN'S SINGLES GOLD
Cheryl Gudinas (USA)
Christie Van Hees (Canada)
Jacqueline Paraiso (USA)
Lori-Jane Powell (Canada)
Susy Acosta (Mexico)
Loreto Barriga (Chile)
Lupita Torres (Mexico)
Angela Grisar (Chile)

Yuni Cobb (Korea)
Fabiola Marquez (Bolivia)
Toshiko Sakamoto (Japan)
Maria Silva (Puerto Rico)
Lee Young-Mi (Korea)
Yaque Parada (Bolivia)
Hiromi Miyamoto (Japan)
Linda Mojer (Puerto Rico)

Women's Singles, Blue
Toshiko Sakamoto (Japan)
Yaque Parada (Bolivia)
Hiromi Miyamoto (Japan)
Fabiola Marquez (Bolivia)

Women's Singles, Red
Claudine Garcia (Dominican Republic)
Bouaphet Phanvonqsa (Laos)
Bessie Le (Vietnam)
Karen Grunbridge (Ireland)

Women's Singles, White
Celia V. Gonzales (Cuba)
Lurine Barnes (Jamaica)
Monica Barrios (Guatemala)
Jennifer Bendfeldt (Guatemala)

MEN'S DOUBLES GOLD
Luis Bustillos/Javier Moreno (Mexico)
Ruben Gonzalez/Mike Guidry (USA)
Mike Ceresia/Mike Green (Canada)
Jorge Hirsekorn/Ralf Reinhard (Venezuela)

Men's Doubles, Blue
Manolo Benfeldt/Gustavo Morales (Guatemala)
Gonzalo Amaya/Alvaro Tapia (Bolivia)
Robert Nasser/Franklin Rauduales (Honduras)
Andres Gomez/Orlando Lopez (Costa Rica)

Men's Doubles, Red
Quyen Nguyen/Son Nguyen (Vietnam)
Trevor Hayter/Achim Loof (Germany)
Patrick Hanley/Kevin Jennings (Ireland)
Alexander G. Agureros/Raul Gutierrez (Cuba)

Men's Doubles, White
Alfonso Bebia/Antonio Bebia (Spain)
Sid Harshavat/Silva Raghupathy (India)

WOMEN'S DOUBLES GOLD
Kersten Hallander/Kim Russell (USA)
Amanda MacDonald/Karina Odegard (Canada)
Maria Fernanda/Paola Nunez (Bolivia)
Loreto Barriga/Angela Grisar (Chile)

Women's Doubles, Blue
Itsuyo Hashimoto/Etuko Noda (Japan)
Tania Anguino/Johana Rivera (Mexico)
Kwon Mal-Hee/Kim Min-Jun (Korea)
Linda Mojer/Maria Silva (Puerto Rico)

Women's Doubles, Red
Lisa Thornton/Sharon Thornton (Australia)
Lan Hyunh/Bessie Le (Vietnam)
Lurine Barnes/Marie Birmingham (Jamaica)
Anita Anthony/Jennifer Dering (India)

Women's Doubles, White
Annette Gillhouse/July Malone (Germany)
Amalia Gutierrez/Lynet Kawas (Honduras)
Monica Barrios/Jennifer Bendfeldt (Guatemala)

world cup team finishes