It came down to one stone, but it turned out in her favor. And so Elly Mensen of sjoel association De Brikkenmikkers from Klazienaveen crowned herself this weekend as world champion at the World Shuffleboard Championships in Beneden-Leeuwen in Gelderland. “I already had a premonition that it would be all right”
That world title meant a lot to her, because it had been a while since she could call herself the best in the world. “Already ten years ago to be exact. It did gnaw at me, so I shed a tear of joy when it all came down this morning.”
The final became a true thriller, because Mensen lost a big lead and saw her opponent come dangerously close. In the end, she managed to straighten things out, take control again and win the world title. She was then literally adored by her Swedish colleagues. “It was a wonderful moment! The atmosphere during such a tournament is very accessible. There were participants from fourteen different countries, who all get along well. It really felt like one big family.”
And with her individual World Cup title, the party was complete, because just before that, Elly and her teammates from De Brikkenmikkers from Klazienaveen had already won the team world title. “We had a good celebration. I didn’t get back to my hotel room until after midnight, and only realized the next morning what I had achieved. I am now completely enjoying myself.”
She has no secret recipe for the world titles, although she had a lot of confidence in a good result before the start of the tournament. “Keep thinking positively and don’t worry unnecessarily, that helped me a lot this tournament. And that worked out well,” she concludes with a laugh.