Debbie Marimuthu has struck success at the Blackball World Championships in Bridlington, UK, competing at the contest for the first time.
Fresh off her impressive third-place finish at the National Blackball Championship in April, the oThongathi resident earned a golden ticket into the South African team competing in the prestigious Blackball World Championship in England. She grabbed the opportunity to hone her skills against the world’s best pool players.
Competing in a gruelling 40 matches, Marimuthu won 19, securing a 13th-place ranking worldwide.
“It was my first international performance and I have done myself proud by ranking 13th in the World on my first attempt. It was a nail-biting finish in the end with team SA finishing third in the team event earning us a bronze medal.”
Marimuthu, the group buyer for Super Tyres South Africa, started playing pool on a social level about 15 years ago as a way to meet new people after she faced personal challenges.
“I have succumbed to major personal challenges and my bestie Sylvester Henry has literally saved me by getting me to play pool again in August 2022 after having laid my cues down for 8 years,” she said.
“I suffered major depression through betrayal. Entering the pool hall again gave me a new lease on life and, yes, playing pool helped me.”
She started playing pool on a more professional level, making the KZN team in 2023 and this year making the SA second team that led to her playing in the World Tournament last month.
She plays for “her family”, the Hotshots Pool Academy.
She is set to play the KZN trials early next year and then the next SA Championships and hopes to make the SA team again to represent her country.
“Our team is ranked third in the world, it was a nail-biting finish, but I won the second-to-last game, saving us coming down to a final decider which is very pressurising. I always keep calm and just have faith in myself and trust in God to get me through one game at a time.”
She said she didn’t need to train more hours than she racked up in her league games.
“I do not put in any extra hours of training. My game is consistent. I play league once a week for about 4 hours and that’s all the training that I get.”
The best part is that Marimuthu does not feel the divide between genders in the pool and everyone treats each other with respect and friendlessness.
“For me it’s actually quite exciting and I see myself as part of the boys so I fit in quite comfortably.
“I wish to play in a few more World Championships and possibly mentor and upskill up-and-coming players,” said Marimuthu.
