World Marbles Championship

Interview With Svatoslav Sterba, The Winner Of World Marbles Championship 2005
By Petr Sejba

In July 2005, the first World Marbles Championship in individual hole game took place in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The championship started on Friday, July 22 by official training. On Saturday, July 23, the competitors played against each other in two groups. They competed for better position in Sunday's double elimination system -- the group winners were seeded as number 1 and 2, players on the second places were seeded as number 3 and 4 etc. So the group winners played with the last one from another group in the first round on Sunday.

On Sunday, July 24, the crucial part of the tournament started. Everybody had in mind that the winner of the double elimination system will become the World Marble Champion. After many hours of dramatic matches there were known the finalists - Svatoslav Sterba and Zbynek Fojtik (both representatives of the Czech Republic). It was very equal match in the beginning. But over time Svatoslav Sterba improved his game and rightly won the title of the World Marble Champion.

A few months later, in the time when the new marble season starts, we interviewed Mr. Sterba and asked him the following questions:

1. You won Czech Marbles Championship 2002. In the year 2003 you beat over 200 competitors and was #2 in the Czech National Ranking. Next year you didn't participate in any marble tournament. And in April 2005 you were back and in very good condition -- in the first national tournament of the year 2005 you won 3rd place. Do you remember how did you feel before and after this tournament and what was your ambitions for the incoming season?

Yes, I remember it very well. I have had serious health problems during all 2004 year. For that reason I was not able to play nor to train not only the game itself but also my physical condition. So I did not expect some results on the first tournament and also in course of the whole season 2005. The most important to me was to be back and in the condition enabling me to play. The third place was very agreeable surprise form me.