2024 World Wallball Championships
LIMERICK, Ireland – The atmosphere at the University of Limerick Sports Arena was electric on the final day of the ONeills.com 2024 World Wallball Championships. Over 1,000 enthusiastic fans filled the venue, driven by the high stakes of the World Championship final and a palpable sense of national pride. The morning commenced with the Junior and Masters finals, setting the stage for the highly anticipated Open division showdown.
Excitement buzzed through the arena as fans eagerly awaited what promised to be a thrilling final. The two contenders, both hailing from Brooklyn, New York, did not disappoint. As play commenced, the crowd fell into a captivated silence, watching the world’s top Wallball athletes execute incredible shots from seemingly impossible angles, trading blistering serves and returns at point-blank range.
Gonzalez, a seasoned veteran accustomed to the pressures of high-stakes titles, faced Marston, who was making his first appearance in a World Championship final. The day before, Marston had triumphed over defending champion Conor McElduff, overcoming the pressure of playing against a hometown favorite. That victory bolstered his confidence, which he carried into the final.
The match began with the intensity of two fighters testing each other, reaching an even 10-10 tie. Both players delivered an extraordinary sequence of rallies, each point hard-earned. Despite using two timeouts, Gonzalez stayed level with Marston until the score reached 15-15. However, Marston then began to pull ahead, capitalizing on rally scoring to secure the first game, 21-17.
In the second game, Gonzalez, determined to force a tiebreaker, played with renewed purpose. Although he gained a slight advantage, the players once again found themselves deadlocked at 10-10. As the rallies continued, Gonzalez began to show signs of fatigue, yet he kept the score close. Marston, however, seized control, building a three-point lead. Gonzalez responded with two consecutive kills, narrowing the gap to 16-18 and prompting Marston to call a timeout.
When play resumed, Marston quickly regained his composure, overcoming a Gonzalez kill to gain the side out and a 19-17 lead. With a powerful left-handed shot, he secured the final two points, clinching the championship with identical scores of 21-17. Marston celebrated with the crowd, shared a respectful handshake with Gonzalez, and then sprinted to the cameras, basking in the applause that rained down.
While Gonzalez and the other top Wallballers remain formidable contenders for future titles, this moment belonged to Marston, whose star first rose at the USHA National Wallball final in 2023.
In the all-USA 50s final at the World Championships, Joe Kaplan emerged victorious over Jared Vale, winning in two straight games, 21-18 and 21-11. Earlier in the week, Kaplan narrowly missed capturing a second World Open Small Ball Singles title, but the Brooklyn native rebounded with a determined performance in the 50s division.
The first game was a tightly contested battle, with Vale pushing his fellow New Yorker to the limit. Kaplan, however, managed to power through the intense rallies, edging out Vale to take the opening game 21-18. In the second game, Kaplan took command, dictating the pace of play. Despite Vale’s valiant efforts to keep up, Kaplan maintained control, ultimately sealing the victory and the championship with a decisive 21-11 win.
USA’s William Polanco turned back the clock, winning the small ball Open Singles against fellow American Joe Kaplan. Both Masters eligible players played an exceptionally entertaining final, with Polanco edging out Kaplan, 11-21, 21-12 11-5.
Polanco would also win the Men’s 40-plus Singles over Ireland’s Dominick Lynch, 21-13, 21-14.
The Women’s Open Singles final featured an all-Ireland showdown between defending World Champion Martina McMahon and Fiona Tully. Tully demonstrated the brilliance that carried her to the championship match, but McMahon’s two-handed power and control, honed over the past decade, proved decisive. Although both games were closely contested, McMahon secured a convincing victory, winning 21-10, 21-9.
In the doubles competition, Marston teamed up with Tywan Cook to complete a remarkable slam, defeating Gonzalez and Allan Sanchez in a thrilling match, 18-21, 21-16, 11-4. Gonzalez and Sanchez, fresh off their small ball World title win, seemed poised to claim another World Doubles crown after taking the first game. However, Marston and Cook, undeterred by the early setback, elevated their game, going toe-to-toe with their opponents to clinch the final and achieve a rare World Championships Slam.
See draws and final results at: knowmyscore.ie
Matches of the ONeills.com 2024 World Wallball Championships are available at the TG4 YouTube Channel HERE.
See how “Team USA” fared in the table below (scroll to the bottom of the page).
LIMERICK, Ireland — The semifinals are set for the Men’s and Women’s Open Divisions. Kicking things off at 10 AM (Eastern), defending Women’s Champion Martina McMahon (Ireland) will tussle with Cailiosa Ni Dhuill (Ireland). In the second all-Ireland semifinal, Elise McCrory faces Fiona Tully.
Three of four spots in the Men’s semifinals hail from Brooklyn, N.Y. Defending 2018 Men’s Champion Conor McElduff (Ireland) faces Nazir Marston (USA) at 11 AM Eastern. Timbo Gonzalez and Tywan Cook square off in an all-USA semifinal.
View the draws and follow real-time results at: knowmyscore.ie
Matches of the ONeills.com 2024 World Wallball Championships will be live-streamed on the TG4 YouTube Channel HERE.
Follow along with all of our American Players in the table below, which shows which Americans are still in their division and when their next match will be. The table will update shortly after a match concludes, so check back often for updates! The streaming schedule is also below!
LIMERICK, Ireland — With the closing ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics now behind us, we eagerly anticipate the start of the World Wallball Championships, set to take place at the University of Limerick from August 18-24. We are proud to send some of our top one-wall competitors to represent Team USA in the Men’s and Ladies’ Open Singles and Doubles events.
In the Men’s Open Wallball Singles, five-time USHA National Wallball Champion Tywan Cook from Brooklyn, N.Y. He will also team up with Brooklyn’s Nazir Marston, who is making his World Championships debut, to compete in the Men’s Open Wallball Doubles.
Mel Sky from the Bronx, N.Y., will represent Team USA in the Ladies’ Open Wallball Singles while also competing in the Ladies’ Open Wallball Doubles alongside fellow Bronx player Sully Ruiz. We wish them the best of luck as they compete for Team USA in pursuit of World Wallball titles in Ireland!
The World Wallball Championships kick off a massive celebration of handball this year in Ireland, as 2024 marks 100 years of GAA Handball. Fittingly hosted in Ireland, this event is the first stand-alone Wallball/One-Wall World Championships. The action begins at the University of Limerick on August 18 and concludes on August 23. All draws, or “fixtures,” are now available. Check them out HERE.
The World Wallball Championships will be using the Official Irish Wallball Rules. Download the GAA Handball Combined Rulebook HERE, and watch a video explaining the rules being used at the tournament click HERE. Follow along and cheer on our Team USA players!
See how all the American Players performed in the table below. Congrats to the 12 champions!!
