Brady sets sights on top ranking after victory over Chapman

PAUL BRADY has his sights set on handball’s world number one ranking having scooped the sport’s biggest jackpot in Seattle.

The Cavan man defeated perennial world number one Dave Chapman of the United States in a thrilling final, 11-13, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6 at the Ultimate Handball Showdown tournament and picked up a $50,000 (€40,000) first prize.

“I’m delighted,” Brady said, “not just the fact of the money but it’s a great feeling to have come out on top with the best players in the world here, with everyone at their best and to have finally beaten Chapman.

“I’ve trained for many years, worked very hard and now this means I’m in a position to attack the number one spot.”

The tournament at the Washington Athletic Club brought together the world’s top 16 players for the first time and was the first event organised by the new Professional Handball Association. It carried a total purse of $135,000, backed up by television coverage on the Fox Sports Network in the United States with the five-man Irish contingent taking home $68,000 in total prize money.

Brady, who won the world handball championship in Dublin last October by beating Cork’s Tony Healy, had again got the better of the Ballydesmond man in the semi-final to set up a final with handball’s greatest current exponent Chapman. The Cavan man lost the first game, took the second and was 8-4 down in the third game when he missed an easy shot to go 9-4 down. But he kept his nerve, won six points in a row and took the game 12-10. “I guess that was a turning point,” said Brady, who again had to battle back in the fourth game, falling 6-2 behind before winning the next nine points to close out the game and win the final.

“I just kept believing I was going to win - no matter what happened - I was going to win. I had played Chapman seven times and never beaten him so this really made up for all that.”

Earlier on Sunday, Healy lost his third-play-off to California’s Naty Alvarado, Jr, going down in three straight games 11-3, 11-6, 11-2, having played with an injured arm.

But he still picked up his highest pay cheque, $8,000 for his fourth place finish.

Brady celebrated with his fellow Irishmen long into the Seattle night and admitted he was “suffering” as a result of the partying. But he will have to be right back on his game later this week as he and Healy flew to Alaska last night for a challenge between the world’s top eight, where the first prize is $20,000.