WFDF

Finland crowned winners at WFDF 2019 World Team Disc Golf Championships

In Disc Golf, News, Press Release * Official Communication, Sports by WFDF

Finland defeated Germany 8-0 to win the 2019 WFDF 2019 World Team Disc Golf Championships (WTDGC), which were held in Alutaguse, Estonia from 21-24 August 2019. Taking the gold medal had been the ambition for the Finnish team from the beginning of the event — they sent their strongest team and did not lose a match throughout the Championships.

Though the German team played well and pushed the Finns in the final round of games, they came up short but a silver medal was above their level of expectation coming into the event. Seeded seventh and in their first WTDGC, they outperformed all their opponents until this championship round.

Estonia finished in the bronze medal place after a defeat at the hands of Finland in the semifinals. They beat Austria in the final medal round, who was also in their first WTDGC event and originally seeded twelfth, making full use of the home country advantage.

The Championships were a major success for WFDF and for the Estonian Disc Golf Association, said Charlie Mead, the WFDF Disc Golf committee chair. “Tournament Director Timo Juursalu and his team rose to all the challenges posed by organizing this major WFDF Disc Golf Championship,” Mead said. “The media coverage was extensive and results systems robust for a tournament site in a remote rural area of the country, making this the most successful WTDGC to date.”

“We were very pleased to see the high level of competition and the enthusiasm of the athletes as they cheered on their teammates,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “This unique team format provides the global disc golf community with the opportunity to bond with other disc golf athletes from their own countries and it also requires them to promote the development of their youth and women’s programs in order to field a complete competitive team. Amid a busy event year with eight WFDF World and Continental Championships in Ultimate, Overall, and Disc Golf, our attention now turns to Budapest where Flying Disc Freestyle will be featured this coming weekend at the GAISF World Urban Games.”

Seventeen countries participated in the third edition of the team disc golf championships over four days of competition. The nations represented were Australia, Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Russia, Slovakia, Spain and the United States of America.

The previous editions of the WTDGC took place in Vancouver in Canada in 2016 and the English town of Colchester in 2017, and the 2021 event will be held in Varazdin, Croatia.