Team USA at The 2025 World Games
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by Cheryl Kirk
Team USA at The 2025 World Games
Chengdu, China
High-Tech Zone Sports Centre – Public Fitness Gymnasium
Wednesday 8/13 – Sunday 8/17
Two Team USA athletes, one male and one female, represented their country at The World Games (TWG) in Chengdu, China. Along with thirty other racquetball athletes from 15 other countries hailing from four continents, they arrived with dreams of gold (medals) and began a whirlwind week of competition and an experience always to be remembered.
Jake Bredenbeck and Naomi Ros earned the right to compete at The World Games via their results in the Men’s and Women’s Team Qualifying Singles Divisions at the National Indoor Championships, May 14-18, in Pleasanton, California.
Racquetball athletes from 16 countries each sent one male and one female athlete who competed in single elimination Singles and also together in single elimination Mixed Doubles:
Asia – Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, Korea
Europe – Germany, Ireland, Italy
North America – Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, USA
South America – Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador
Who was in Chengdu from the USA?
Jake Bredenbeck, Marine-on-St.-Croix, Minnesota
Naomi Ros, San Antonio, Texas
Pablo Fajre, U.S. Team Head Coach, Tracy, California
Angela Grisar, Pablo’s better half, competing for Germany
Sandy Rios, USA Racquetball Board Officer, Kerrville, Texas
George Bustos, U.S. Junior Team Assistant Coach, San Antonio, Texas
Sam Bredenbeck and Lexi York, Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota (2025-26 U.S. Team members and newly engaged couple as of Sunday 8/3/25!)
IRF Staff included two more Americans:
Dean Schear – Competition Manager, San Antonio, Texas
Gustavo Farell – Sport Commentator, El Paso, Texas
To view the draws, visit www.internationalracquetball.com and choose Racquetball Competition – Official Draws. Or, go to:
https://www.r2sports.com/website/division-list.asp?TID=50215&sortBy=defaultOrder
To learn more about The World Games, visit: https://www.theworldgames2025.com/en/
Thirty-five non-Olympic sports competed with some very familiar ones and others not nearly as much! https://www.theworldgames2025.com/en/events?cid-ssxm
Live-streaming was an event all in itself. One only needed to download the free app as seen on live.theworldgames.org/. The technology was world class and the venue was stunning.
Streaming was up and running with the IRF’s Gustavo Farell on the mic. Gustavo did a fantastic job with his commentary. Gustavo did not assume, as one might with routine racquetball livestreams, that the viewing audience is made up of racquetball players who already know the game. There, it was a different thing altogether – it was an unparalleled opportunity to educate and to showcase Racquetball to the world. People fall in love with a sport when they understand what the rules are, what’s going on in the match, who the athletes are, their backstories. Bravo, Gustavo!
Competition Format––Rally scoring; best 3 games of 5 to 11 points, win by 2.
On Wednesday 8/13, Jake Bredenbeck, the #1 seed, easily won the first men’s match of the tournament vs. #16 seed Han-Yang Huang of Chinese Taipei, 11-2, 11-3, 11-3. Naomi Ros, the #4 seed, followed suit, defeating Maria Angela Villacreses (Ecuador). 11-5, 11-2, 10-12, 11-1.
On Thursday morning, #1 seeds Jake Bredenbeck/Naomi Ros bested #16 seeds Han-Yang Huang/Yuan Wang (Chinese Taipei). Spectator and roving reporter Sandy Rios commented, “U.S. opened their Mixed Doubles competition against this young Chinese Taipei team who––even though lacking experience––demonstrated they have the potential to help build a tough national team. What they may have lacked, they more than made up with effort and inspiring competitive spirit.”
Unfortunately, the Men’s and Women’s Singles matches later in the day did not have the same winning outcome for Team USA.
#1 Jake Bredenbeck lost to #8 Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 9-11, 11-9, 7-11, 6-11
#4 Naomi Ros lost to #5 Angelica Barrios (Bolivia), 12-10, 9-11, 8-11, 9-11
Each lost their bid to advance in Singles, but Jake and Naomi and all of their fans immediately began looking forward to Friday’s quarterfinal round in Mixed Doubles as the #1 seed vs. #9 seeded Andres Acuña/Larissa Faeth (Costa Rica).
IRF Staff and Referees
These folks are tireless in their contributions to Racquetball worldwide. They were in China at The World Games, certainly, but their work is constant year in and year out. Each is a treasure in our sport: Osvaldo Maggi (Argentina) – IRF President; Mauro Grandio Buzaleh (Argentina) – IRF Secretary General; Dean Schear (USA) – Competition Manager; Gustavo Farell (USA) – Sport Commentator. Gratitude is not nearly an adequate enough word to describe what they do for us all.
Thanks to the referees who represented our sport so professionally in Chengdu: Francisco Gomez (Colombia), Diana Aguilar (Mexico), Roland Keller (Bolivia), and Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador). They’re a Dream Team!
Mini-Travelogue – Chengdu, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
Chengdu
is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a population of 20,937,757 at the 2020 census, it is the fourth most populous city in China, and it is the only city with a population of over 20 million apart from direct-administered municipalities. It is traditionally the hub of Western China. Click this link to find out much more about this Host City of The World Games 2025: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengdu
Currency: CNY or RMB (Chinese Yuan Renminbi) 7.17 to 1 US Dollar
Elevation: 1,640 ft. above sea level
USA Racquetball
Official Partner of Adult National Team
Speaking of Kevin Cowley, we want to recognize and thank Kevin and his staff at Athlete Performance Solutions, Inc. (APS) for their apparel sponsorship of the U.S. Adult National Team. In preparation for this event, Kevin worked with us to create the submission to TWG 2025 Brand Control Standards for Apparel group as required by the LOC (Local Organizing Committee). It was a structured process, and Kevin’s responsiveness and efficiency made all the difference. We appreciate APS both as an Official Top Partner of USA Racquetball and also as a great group of people to work with!
Gratitude to Our Benefactors!
USA Racquetball warmly thanks the following individuals who contributed to the recent fundraiser this summer that led into sending our coach and athletes to represent the USA at TWG 2025 in Chengdu. Racquetball Family and Friends take care of our own!
USA Racquetball
Tidbits
Gustavo Farell commented, “What a super well organized event. They must have 7,000 volunteers, something like a minimum ratio of 3:1 volunteers to coaches/delegates/refs/media etc.” Rumor had it there are so many volunteers (young people especially) that sometimes when another sport’s venue might have too many on hand, the ones being assigned elsewhere are requesting to go over to Racquetball!
On Thursday, IRF President Osvaldo Maggi borrowed a couple of Conrrado Moscoso’s racquets and did some gentle hitting on the court with a few new fans between matches! Video was posted on The World Games on Instagram, exclaiming “The Stars of Tomorrow? The President of the International Racquetball Federation, Aníbal Osvaldo Maggi León, invited local kids on to court for a personal training session - what an amazing gesture!” Bravo, Osvaldo! Check out this link: HERE. This is exactly the kind of PR we need for this fabulous sport of ours!
Attendees wore credentials around their necks that provide access into their hotels, the venue, and other activities associated with TWG. No credential, no access. Security at every one of the facilities involved facial recognition, bag checks, and TSA-type screening. It was known to be extremely difficult to replace a lost credential. Interestingly, once an event such as this is over, a credential’s importance becomes that of a really cool lifelong souvenir.
Back to Racquetball...
In the top half of the Women’s Singles bracket, the Paola Longoria (MEX)/Angelica Barrios (BOL) semifinal match ended unexpectedly when, in the fifth game, Angelica took a step, twisted her knee and fell to the floor in extreme pain. This sad occurrence marked the end of her Singles run for the gold and also took Bolivia’s Mixed Doubles team out of the competition as well. We are thinking of Angelica and wish her a speedy recovery.
Mixed Doubles Action
On Friday, the USA Mixed Doubles team logged a decisive win against Costa Rica, 11-7, 11-6, 11-5. Sandy Rios commented courtside after the match: “The U.S. duo of Ros and Bredenbeck defeated the Costa Rican team in three straight games. Ros held her own against the power of Andres Acuña and overpowered the up-and-coming Larissa Faeth. Bredenbeck brought his expected power and speed, effectively neutralizing Acuña as the USA powered thru to their 3-0 victory.”
As a result, Jake and Naomi moved into the semifinals Saturday afternoon vs. Canada’s Coby Iwaasa/Frederique Lambert who had defeated Galicia and Martinez of Guatemala in the quarters. In the lower half of the bracket, Japan advanced due to Barrios’ tournament-ending injury in the Women’s Singles. Argentina also reached the semifinals after their win in three games against Mexico.
After their win against Costa Rica on Friday, Jake Bredenbeck and Naomi Ros moved into the Mixed Doubles semifinal round Saturday vs. Canada’s Coby Iwaasa and Frederique Lambert. Sandy Rios commented on the match. “Naomi Ros and Jake Bredenbeck pulled out their most exciting victory to date in defeating the Canadian pair of Frederique Lambert and Coby Iwaasa, 9-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9. ON TO THE FINAL!”
With Argentina’s win over Japan in the second Mixed Doubles semifinal, that set the stage for the USA vs. Argentina Mixed Doubles final on Sunday.
The World Games
The World Games
TWG RACQUETBALL RAMPED UP IN THE FINAL TWO DAYS OF COMPETITION
SATURDAY RESULTS – BRONZE MEDAL PLAYOFFS
Men’s Singles – Lalo Portillo (Mexico) def. Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 19-17, 11-9, 10-12, 8-11, 11-9
Mixed Doubles – Coby Iwaasa/Frederique Lambert (Canada) def. Michimune Kono/Harumi Kajino (Japan), 11-3, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4
The Women’s 3rd place playoff would have taken place on Saturday but unfortunately did not because of Angelica Barrios’ injury that took her out of TWG competition the day before.
SUNDAY – GOING FOR THE GOLD!
Women’s Singles Final – Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) def. Paola Longoria (Mexico), 6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9
Men’s Singles Final – Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) def. Diego Garcia (Argentina), 11-9, 2-11, 9-11, 11-6, 14-12
Mixed Doubles Final – Jake Bredenbeck/Naomi Ros (USA) def. Diego Garcia/Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina), 11-7, 11-9, 11-6
Heartfelt congratulations go to every one of the 32 athletes from the 16 countries who traveled to Chengdu to compete in these World Games. You are champions, each and every one!
TWG FINAL RESULTS
Men’s Singles
Gold – Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Silver – Diego Garcia (Argentina)
Bronze – Eduardo Portillo Torres (Mexico)
Women’s Singles
Gold – Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina)
Silver – Paola Longoria (Mexico)
Bronze – Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala)
Mixed Doubles
Gold – Jake Bredenbeck/Naomi Ros (USA)
Silver – Diego Garcia/Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina)
Bronze – Coby Iwaasa/Frederique Lambert (Canada)
Naomi Ros
THANK YOU’S
The U.S. Team Delegation wishes to deliver their heartfelt gratitude to those who made these World Games so truly memorable:
To the TWG Local Organizing Committee, the hard work and logistical organization required to host a multi-sport event of this magnitude is epic, and the TWG LOC raised the bar exponentially. Congratulations to everyone from the IWGA itself to the TWG 2025 LOC for an amazing achievement. The Daily Blogs have naturally been racquetball-centric, so if you haven’t had the opportunity, please visit https://www.theworldgames.org/editions/Chengdu-CHN-2025-14 for a look at how truly magnificent these World Games have been in Chengdu, China.
To the staff members of the many TWG departments and to the thousands of volunteers who supported all of the sport venues in so many ways, we extend our admiration and gratitude. As these Games wind down...after all of the months of preparation and training...and with the excitement once the Games had finally arrived––it’s over in nearly a heartbeat. They will be sad that it’s come and gone so suddenly, but we hope they will cherish their lifelong memories and new friendships. They can all be so incredibly proud of what they have accomplished together.
Thanks to the Racquetball team of leaders, commentators, and referees:
Operations/Leadership: IRF President Osvaldo Maggi (Argentina), IRF Secretary General Mauro Grandio Buzeleh (Argentina), and IRF Treasurer/Competition Manager Dean Schear (USA) – perfect as usual!
Broadcast/Streaming: Gustavo Farell (USA) was the voice of our sport along with his co-commentators Guy McCrea (England) and Peter Pan (as Gustavo nicknamed him) of China. They were supported by an entire LOC production and operations staff there at the venue.
Referees from four countries who made such a difference throughout the event this past week: Francisco Gomez (Colombia), Diana Aguilar (Mexico), Roland Keller (Bolivia), and Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador). Thank you for your expertise and diligent work!
So much behind-the-scenes support contributes to a great experience at every international event:
Uniform Sponsor APS and Kevin Cowley – thank you for your outstanding assistance to Team USA, as always!
Antonio Olivieri, USOPC Director of Security Operations, for his unwavering support of Team USA, not only during this event but over many years.
Aimee Roehler posted the Daily Blogs and photos to USA Racquetball’s Facebook page as they were sent over, even in the car one morning on the way to an appointment (note: she wasn’t driving). Sandy Rios provided courtside comments after the matches along with many photos along the way, and Gustavo Farell grabbed the medals stand shots for us during the awards ceremony. Thanks to you all!
Mail From Home – Much gratitude, everyone, for your emails and texts – you made a big difference to Team USA!
From contributions large and small, to encouraging words, to positive comments from spectators watching online...all of these and more make us so lucky to be a part of the best sport on the planet!
In Conclusion...
The World Games website described what would take place Sunday night at the Closing Ceremony of TWG 2025:
“Similar to the Opening Ceremony, the Closing Ceremony includes cultural and official elements. Athletes enter the selected area by sport. The symbolic hand-over between the current and future host city through the IWGA president closes The World Games edition. A social gathering involving athletes, officials and organisers follows the Closing Ceremony.”
https://www.theworldgames.org/contents/The-IWGA-15/About-TWG-2099
Jake, Naomi, Pablo, Angela, Sandy, George, Lexi, and Sam, thanks for representing Racquetball and the USA so well there in China.
The next set of Daily Blogs will arrive from the IRF World Junior Championship, December 5-13, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. See you then!
The World Games
The World Games
The World Games
The World Games
The World Games
The World Games
