The USA defeated the Netherlands 128–100 to win the gold medal in the under-26 team championship at the 6th World Youth Open Championships in Opatija, Croatia.
Cornelius Duffie, Ben Kristensen, Kevin Rosenberg and Sarah Youngquist, playing as SIVY B, got off to a hot 52–15 lead after the first quarter; going into the fourth segment, however, the Dutch team had tightened the margin to 6 IMPs – 85–79. Duffie, Rosenberg and Youngquist are part of the Silicon Valley Youth Bridge program in Northern California; Kristensen is from Duluth MN.
In the under-21 team event, the bronze medal went to a squad of Canadian-USA players. Canadians Hao Zhen Dong and Bo Han Zhu, and USA players Finn Kolesnik and Harrison Luba defeated an international team from Denmark, Israel and Sweden, 117–82.
Dong and Zhu medaled earlier in the tournament when they took third place in the under-21 Pairs Championship.
The World Youth Open Championship is held biennially in odd-numbered years. Competition is open to players under 26; all events are transnational.
