WYC Daily Update: Australia through to Men’s Team gold medal match
By Matt Stevens
Australia’s men are through to the gold medal match in the Men’s Team event at the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships, following an outstanding day in Kuching.
After qualifying sixth, the Australian men produced a dominant Matchplay campaign to top Group B with six wins from seven games before sweeping the United States 2-0 in the semi-final.
The result places Australia among the final two nations in the Men’s Team event, with the gold medal match to be contested on Monday against the Czech Republic.
Today, attention turns to the Australian women, with Bella Westlake, Brianna Walsh, Emily Hart and Samantha Clifton taking to the lanes for the Women’s Team event. The schedule of the day will mirror yesterday – qualifying to matchplay to semi-finals.
A huge day of competition in Kuching!
What happened yesterday
Men’s Team Qualification
Australia’s men showed plenty of resilience in the Team qualifying block, recovering strongly from a difficult opening game to secure their place in Matchplay.
A 155 to begin the session left the Australians near the foot of the standings early, but the response was immediate. The team recorded seven 200-plus games across the 10-game Baker-format block, including a high game of 268 in Game 3.
Australia built valuable momentum through the back half of qualifying, closing with four consecutive games above 200 to comfortably move inside the Top 16 cutline.
The Australians finished sixth overall in qualifying with a total of 2,108 and a 210.8 average, earning a place in the Men’s Team Matchplay stage later in the day.
| 155 | 211 | 268 | 180 | 222 |
| 193 | 233 | 220 | 210 | 216 |
| TOTAL | 2,108 |
| AVG. | 210.8 |
| SQUAD POS. | 6th |
Men’s Team Matchplay
After qualifying sixth overall, Australia entered Group B for the Men’s Team Matchplay stage, where seven head-to-head games would determine the two semi-finalists. Teams received three points for a win and one point for a draw.
The Australians made an immediate statement, opening with a commanding 237-163 victory over Thailand before backing it up with a 220-199 win against Canada to sit on six points after two games.
A 175-209 loss to Chinese Taipei in Game 3 briefly tightened the group standings, dropping Australia to fourth in a congested table with four teams locked on six points. From there, however, the Australians responded emphatically.
Australia edged the Czech Republic 205-179 in a tense contest that remained tight through eight frames. A missed spare opportunity in the ninth opened the door before Blake Walsh delivered a crucial strike to give Australia a narrow advantage. Julian Dinham then converted a seven-pin spare in the 10th to close out the result, with plenty of smiles and good sportsmanship shared between both teams after the match.
Further wins over Singapore (227-159) and Romania (221-203) sent Australia back to the top of Group B. The Romania win sealed a place in the semi-finals with one game remaining, as Nicholas Rajkovic converted a difficult split late in the match to help the team close out a decisive result.
Australia finished the Matchplay block in style with a 218-153 victory over Russia, securing first place in Group B.
The team completed Matchplay with an outstanding 6-1 record, collecting 18 points to top Group B at an average of 213.3.
| Game 1 | Australia defeated Thailand : 237-163 |
| Game 2 | Australia defeated Canada: 220-199 |
| Game 3 | Australia lost to Chinese Taipei : 175-209 |
| Game 4 | Australia defeated Czech Republic: 205-179 |
| Game 5 | Australia defeated Singapore: 227-159 |
| Game 6 | Australia defeated Romania: 221-203 |
| Game 7 | Australia defeated Russia: 218-153 |
| Record | 6 wins 1 loss |
| Points | 18 points |
| Group Position | 1st in Group B |
| Average | 213.3 |
Men’s Team Semi-Final – Australia Vs United States of America
Having topped Group B, Australia entered the Men’s Team semi-final against the United States with the higher qualifying position and the choice of starting lane. The Australians selected Lane 37 and produced a composed two-game performance to secure their place in the gold medal match.
Australia took early control in Game 1 when the United States opened the door with a 7-10 split in the third frame. The Australians capitalised immediately, putting together five consecutive strikes to establish an advantage.
The USA responded with a five-bagger of their own to keep the contest alive heading into the final frame, but Australia continued matching the pressure shot for shot. When the Americans were unable to maintain their strike run, the Australians closed out a high-quality opening game, 246-234.
Game 2 was another tight contest, with the teams locked together through the opening three frames. A USA spare leave and a strike from Nicholas Rajkovic gave Australia a slight edge, before the match tightened again through the middle frames.
Australia faced some challenging moments but responded every single time. The men showed real team spirit, constantly encouraging one another after any missed strikes. This group has developed into a true team, and it has been incredible to witness.
Australia swept the United States 2-0, winning Game 1 246-234 and Game 2 197-187, to progress to the Men’s Team Gold Medal match against the Czech Republic on Monday, 6 July 2026.
Watch the Men’s Team semi-final:
Today’s schedule in AEST
It is the Australian women’s turn to take centre stage in Kuching, with Bella Westlake, Brianna Walsh, Emily Hart and Samantha Clifton contesting the Women’s Team event.
The team will begin with 10 games of Baker-format qualifying, where the top 16 nations advance to the afternoon’s Matchplay stage. From there, teams will contest seven head-to-head matches in their respective groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the evening’s semi-finals.
11:00 – 14:00 AEST
Women’s Team Qualifying
Bella Westlake, Brianna Walsh, Emily Hart, Samantha Clifton
Lane Schedule: 28, 10, 11, 14, 17, 21, 22, 25, 9, 12
15:00-17:00 AEST
Women’s Team Matchplay
Top 16 qualifiers
18:00-19:00 AEST
Women’s Team Semi-Finals
Top 2 teams from each group of matchplay qualify
What’s Next?
The Women’s Team event is the final standalone team discipline of the Championships, with Australia’s women aiming to follow the men’s lead and progress through qualifying into Matchplay.
Tomorrow, attention turns to the Mixed Team event, before the Championships conclude with the Singles and Doubles semi-finals on Sunday and all remaining medal matches on Monday.
Australia’s men will return on Monday for the Men’s Team gold medal match, while Julian Dinham will also contest the Men’s Singles semi-final on Sunday.
Follow Team Australia
Follow Team Australia throughout the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships via the World Youth Championships Hub for daily updates, Australian results, schedules and key event information.
All live streaming will be on the IBF YouTube page which you can find the links in our Team Australia Hub.
AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!
