Ralf Souquet ( ; born 29 November 1968) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

professional

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky po ...

player. His nickname is "The Kaiser". Since 1988, he has won more than 200 tournament titles, including 23

Euro Tour The Euro Tour is a series of professional pool events set around Europe, founded in 1992, and created by the European Pocket Billiard Federation. The Tour's first event was the ''Belgium Open'', held on May 29 – 31, 1992. The event was won by M ...

titles, 20

European Pool Championship European Pool Championship (also called Dynamic European Championships) is a pool competition organized by the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF). The tournament is held annually since 1980. It should not be confused with the series of small ...

and 12

German Pool Championship German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. Souquet is a two-time world champion, winning the 2008 WPA World Eight-ball Championship and

1996 WPA World Nine-ball Championship The 1996 WPA World Nine-ball Championship was a professional pool championship that took place in 1996 in Borlänge, Sweden. The event was won by Germany's Ralf Souquet, who defeated Sweden's Tom Storm in the final 11–1. Defending champion Oliv ...

Career

Souquet began playing billiards at the age of six in his parents'

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, practicing up to five hours per day. He won his first German Championship title at the age of fourteen in the juniors division. In 1985, Souquet co-won his first European Championship team title with the National Team, and in 1986 won his first individual title at the European Championship (juniors division). In 1997, he received the ''

Silberne Lorbeerblatt Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), the highest sports award in Germany, was endowed on 23 June 1950 by the German President Theodor Heuss. It is awarded to athletes and teams of exemplary character that have won medals at Olympic and ...

'' (Silver Laurel Leaf), the highest official distinction awarded to

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

speople by Germany, which was presented to him by German President

Roman Herzog Roman Herzog (; 5 April 1934 – 10 January 2017) was a German politician, judge and legal scholar, who served as the president of Germany from 1994 to 1999. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he was the first president to be elec ...

. In 1996, Souquet won the

where he triumphed over

Tom Storm Tom Storm (born 16 March 1965 in Borlänge, Sweden) is a former Swedish professional pool player. Storm was the runner-up at the 1996 WPA World Nine-ball Championship. Storm represented Europe at the Mosconi Cup twice, in 1994 and 1995. Storm ...

of Sweden. He also reached the finals of the same event in 2001 and 2006, only to be bested by

Mika Immonen Mika Immonen (born 17 December 1972) is a Finnish professional Hall of Fame pool player, nicknamed "The Iceman." Career Immonen won the 2001 WPA World Nine-ball Championship in Cardiff, Wales. That same year, he was the runner-up to Corey Deu ...

and

Ronato Alcano Ronato (Ronnie) Alcano (pronounced al-kah-no) (born 27 July 1972 in Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines), is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Ronnie ''Calamba''" and "the Volcano". He won both the 2006 WPA World Nine-ball Champion ...

. Souquet also won the US Open Nine-ball Championship in 2002 by defeating

Alex Pagulayan Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...

who would also win the event in the next three years. In 2008, Souquet won his second world title at the 2008 WPA World Eight-ball Championship with a victory over

Ronnie Alcano Ronato (Ronnie) Alcano (pronounced al-kah-no) (born 27 July 1972 in Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines), is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Ronnie ''Calamba''" and "the Volcano". He won both the 2006 WPA World Nine-ball Champion ...

Titles and Achievements

References

External links

Ralf Souquet official website

An industry profile of Souquet

Article on his 2006 World Pool Masters victory

Article on his 2006 World Pool Championship loss
{{DEFAULTSORT:Souquet, Ralf 1968 births Living people German pool players World champions in pool People from Eschweiler Sportspeople from Cologne (region) World Games gold medalists World Games silver medalists Competitors at the 2001 World Games Competitors at the 2009 World Games WPA World Eight-ball Champions WPA World Nine-ball Champions Competitors at the 2005 World Games