Thorsten Hohmann (born 14 July 1979 in
Fulda
Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival.
Histor ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
) 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
**Ger ...
professional
pool player, nicknamed "the Hitman." He is a three-time world champion, winning the
WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 2003, and 2013, and winning the
WPA World Straight Pool Championship in 2006.
Career
Early life
Thorsten was born and raised in
Fulda
Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival.
Histor ...
, Germany and at a very young age had always been interested in sports, playing football, table tennis and badminton. At the age of nine Thorsten's father took him to a local pool hall. On his 10th birthday Thorsten received a miniature pool table. By age twelve Thorsten and a friend began playing pool at a local pool hall. By age 16 he had won his first open adult tournament, of 128 players in the state of
Hessia
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
.
Europe-based career
In 2003 Hohmann reached the finals of the
World Pool League The World Pool League (WPL) was a nine ball pool tournament promoted by Matchroom Sport and PartyGaming, and sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA). All of the events were held in Warsaw, Poland, annually from 1999 to 2006. Six no ...
but lost to
Rodney Morris
Rodney Morris (born 25 November 1970 in Anaheim, California, USA) is a professional pool player of Chamorro - Hawaiian descent. Nicknamed "Rocket" he currently resides in Acworth, Georgia. Rodney married his wife Rheyannon in July 2020.
Caree ...
, 8–3. Later in 2003, Thorsten would win the
2003 WPA World Nine-ball Championship
The 2003 WPA World Nine-ball Championship was the 14th edition of the WPA World Championship for 9-Ball Pool. It took place from July 12 to 20, 2003 in Cardiff, Wales .
Thorsten Hohmann won the event 17–10 victory in the final against Fil ...
, defeating previous champion
Earl Strickland
Earl Strickland (born June 8, 1961) is an American professional pool player who is considered one of the best nine-ball players of all time. He has won over 100 championship titles and three world titles. In 2006 he was inducted into the Billiard ...
in the semi-final, before defeating
Alex Pagulayan in the final 17–10.
He became the third German to become World Champion after
Oliver Ortmann (1995) and
Ralf Souquet
Ralf Souquet ( ; born 29 November 1968) is a German professional pool player. His nickname is "The Kaiser".
Since 1988, he has won more than 200 tournament titles, including 23 Euro Tour titles, 20 European Pool Championship and 12 German Po ...
(1996).
US-based career
In 2004, Hohmann signed on to be managed by
US- and
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
-based event promotions company
Dragon Promotions
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
, who transplanted the German-resident champion to
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
, as a base of practice and preparation for US competitions. Hohmann then signed with Florida-based sponsors Lucasi Cues and Universal Smartshaft as their official representative and spokesperson. He remains a German citizen, but a US permanent resident. Thorsten has since been featured on the cover of many pool magazines.
In 2004, Hohmann reached the finals of the
US Open Nine-ball Championship. However, he lost to
Gabe Owen Gabe may refer to:
*A diminutive for Gabriel
** Gabe Carimi, All American and NFL football left tackle
** Gabe Cramer, American baseball pitcher
** Gabe Kaplan, American actor and comedian
** Gabe Kapler, American major league baseball outfielder an ...
, 3–11.
The year 2005 was his most successful to date as he dominated a number of tournaments, including the
BCA Open Nine-ball Championship, the
Sudden Death Seven-ball event and the
World Pool League The World Pool League (WPL) was a nine ball pool tournament promoted by Matchroom Sport and PartyGaming, and sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA). All of the events were held in Warsaw, Poland, annually from 1999 to 2006. Six no ...
.
In 2006, he won the inaugural
World Straight Pool Championship by defeating
Thomas Engert
Thomas Engert is a German professional pool player. Engert won the 2004 International Challenge of Champions beating fellow German Thorsten Hohmann in the finals. When he returned to the tournament one year later, Engert was close to win ...
200–80. Later, he defeated
Marlon Manalo 8–7 to win the
IPT North American Open Eight-ball Championship IPT may refer to:
Medicine
* Insulin potentiation therapy, an unproven alternative cancer treatment
* Intermittent preventive therapy, a public health intervention
* Interpersonal psychotherapy
Organizations
* Department of Petroleum Engineerin ...
with a first prize of
US$350K.
The IPT prize set a record as the largest first prize ever won in a pool tournament at that time. However,
Efren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes (born August 26, 1954), popularly known by the nickname "Bata" (English: "Kid"), is a Filipino professional pool player. Reyes is widely considered one of the greatest pool players of all time. A winner of over 100 int ...
beat the record shortly afterwards by winning $500,000 in the 2006
IPT World Open Eight-ball Championship, the second major IPT event.
Career titles
*2021
Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
*2019 Steinway Classic 10-Ball
*2018 Dragon 14.1 Tournament
*2015
U.S. Open 10-ball Championship
*2015 Archer Cup 10-Ball
*2015 Dragon 14.1 Tournament
*2014
International Challenge of Champions
*2014
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...
Cup 10-Ball
*2014 WPBL Bonus Ball Team Championship
*2013
WPA World Nine-ball Championship
*2013 Dragon 14.1 Tournament
*2013 Accu-Stats 14.1 Invitational
*2013
American 14.1 Straight Pool Championship
*2013
Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup (russian: Кубок Кремля) is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts, which was suspended in 2022. It was part of the ATP Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and was a Premier Tournament on the WTA ...
*2011 Philippine Open Pool Championship
*2011 Dragon 14.1 Tournament
*2011
World Cup of Pool
The World Cup of Pool is an annual international single-elimination tournament for doubles teams in nine-ball pool competition. The event has been dominated by the Philippines and China, with both nations winning the event on three occasions.
Hi ...
- with (
Ralf Souquet
Ralf Souquet ( ; born 29 November 1968) is a German professional pool player. His nickname is "The Kaiser".
Since 1988, he has won more than 200 tournament titles, including 23 Euro Tour titles, 20 European Pool Championship and 12 German Po ...
)
*2010
All Japan Championship
*2009
China Open 9-Ball Championship
*2008 Asian 10-Ball Championship
*2008 Accu-Stats 14.1 Invitational
*2008 Quezon City Invasion
*2007
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 sma ...
9-Ball
*2006
IPT North American Eight-ball Championship
*2006
Turning Stone Classic
*2006
WPA World Straight Pool Championship
*2005
World Pool League The World Pool League (WPL) was a nine ball pool tournament promoted by Matchroom Sport and PartyGaming, and sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA). All of the events were held in Warsaw, Poland, annually from 1999 to 2006. Six no ...
*2005 ESPN
Sudden Death Seven-ball
*2005
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 sma ...
14.1
*2005 BCA Open 9-Ball Championship
*2004 German Pool Championship 9-Ball
*2004
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 sma ...
8-Ball
*2003 German Pool Championship 14.1
*2003
WPA World Nine-ball Championship
*2003 Continental Team Cup
*2003 New Jersey State 14.1
*2003
Euro Tour Netherlands Open
*1998 German Pool Championship 8-Ball
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hohmann, Thorsten
German pool players
1979 births
Living people
World champions in pool
World Games silver medalists
Competitors at the 2005 World Games
WPA World Nine-ball Champions
People from Fulda
Sportspeople from Kassel (region)