2000 Lisbon, Portugal
The 36th annual AMF Bowling World Cup welcomed a record 88 nations, including 10 making their first-ever World Cup appearances, to host center Bowling Internacional de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal, October 15-21.
The total topped by five the previous record set in 1997 in Cairo, Egypt. The newcomers included Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Eritrea, Gibraltar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru, San Marino, and Slovenia. Palestine had also planned to compete for the first time, but its athletes were unable to travel due to the heightened political tensions in that area at the time the tournament began. Ninety-eight countries had officially entered the 2000 AMF Bowling World Cup this year.
Of the 155 athletes who competed in Lisbon, three -- men's champion Tomas Leandersson of Sweden and runnerup Tore Torgersen of Norway, and Diane Buchanan of Canada -- rolled perfect games during tournament week. Leandersson preceded his with a 299 game, and Torgersen posted a 300 game exactly 10 frames after Leandersson cracked the barrier.
Buchanan became the third woman in World Cup history to record a 300 score during the tournament, and the third Canadian overall. Canada's Jack Guay rolled the first ever in 1994 in Hermosillo, Mexico and encored the following year in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Jill Friis continued the tradition last year in Las Vegas, USA. The three perfect games shot in Lisbon bring to 13 the total rolled in the tournament's history. Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia, who led the women's 67-player field after 40 games, rolled the first perfect game by a woman in 1997.
Despite the three 300 games, scoring for the first 40 qualifying games was slightly below the record pace established in 1999 at Sam's Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas. Men's leader Torgersen averaged 226.5 pins per game, while women's leader Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia posted a 218.7 mark. Last year's leaders after 40 games, Kenny Ang of Malaysia and Amanda Bradley of Australia, averaged 229.2 and 222.8, respectively. The overall records set for 48 games under the old format -- 229.8 by Germany's Frank Boerner and 223.4 by Bradley -- included bonus pins won during matchplay.
The 2000 AMF Bowling World Cup introduced a new best-of-three-games, single-elimination format to replace the aforementioned matchplay and stepladder formats of previous World Cups. The single-elimination phase was held over two days on specially installed lanes in the Atlantic Pavilion in Lisbon's Nations Park, site of the 1998 World Expo. Belgium's Chris Van Dame rolled the highest single-game score during the quarterfinal round, a 278 game, while Clara Juliana Guerrero of Colombia set the women's mark during the semifinals with a 244 game.
Women's champion Mel Isaac of Wales, the No. 6 seed in the single-elimination phase, defeated 1999 WTBA World Masters champion Ann-Maree Putney of Australia and 1999 World Masters bronze medallist Kirsten Penny of England before overpowering Guerrero, 2 games to 1, to win her first world championship.
Leandersson, the men's No. 2 seed, erased the bitter memory of his runnerup finish to Germany's Rainer Puisis in the 1993 AMF Bowling World Cup by sweeping 1994 World Cup champion Torgersen in the men's final round, 2 games to 0. Torgersen needed to double in the 10th frame of the second game to force a third and deciding game but was able to strike only once. Leandersson has won numerous medals and titles in international competition, both individually and as a member of the Sweden national team.
Despite the three 300 games, scoring for the first 40 qualifying games was slightly below the record pace established in 1999 at Sam's Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas. Men's leader Torgersen averaged 226.5 pins per game, while women's leader Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia posted a 218.7 mark. Last year's leaders after 40 games, Kenny Ang of Malaysia and Amanda Bradley of Australia, averaged 229.2 and 222.8, respectively. The overall records set for 48 games under the old format -- 229.8 by Germany's Frank Boerner and 223.4 by Bradley -- included bonus pins won during matchplay.
The 2000 AMF Bowling World Cup introduced a new best-of-three-games, single-elimination format to replace the aforementioned matchplay and stepladder formats of previous World Cups. The single-elimination phase was held over two days on specially installed lanes in the Atlantic Pavilion in Lisbon's Nations Park, site of the 1998 World Expo. Belgium's Chris Van Dame rolled the highest single-game score during the quarterfinal round, a 278 game, while Clara Juliana Guerrero of Colombia set the women's mark during the semifinals with a 244 game.
Women's champion Mel Isaac of Wales, the No. 6 seed in the single-elimination phase, defeated 1999 WTBA World Masters champion Ann-Maree Putney of Australia and 1999 World Masters bronze medallist Kirsten Penny of England before overpowering Guerrero, 2 games to 1, to win her first world championship.
Leandersson, the men's No. 2 seed, erased the bitter memory of his runnerup finish to Germany's Rainer Puisis in the 1993 AMF Bowling World Cup by sweeping 1994 World Cup champion Torgersen in the men's final round, 2 games to 0. Torgersen needed to double in the 10th frame of the second game to force a third and deciding game but was able to strike only once. Leandersson has won numerous medals and titles in international competition, both individually and as a member of the Sweden national team.
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Since the first event in 1965, winning AMF’s Bowling World Cup title has been the most coveted goal in amateur bowling. Whether held in the shadows of the Great Pyramids in or under the bright lights of , each tournament has provided unforgettable moments from competition that has spanned five decades. Browse the archives to discover or revisit these moments, competitors, and the great champions that have made up the rich history of AMF’s Bowling World Cup.