Women’s world champion Rubilen Amit has been forced to withdraw from her World Pool Championship debut following ‘one of the toughest decisions’ she has had to make in her career.
Amit, who beat Chen Siming last year to become the first-ever Filipina world 9-ball champion, initially received an invitation from organisers Matchroom for this year’s million-dollar tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Nevertheless, the women’s world number five has opted against travelling to the Middle East due to health reasons following advice from doctors.
“Some of you may be wondering why my name isn’t on the players’ list for the World Pool Championships. Unfortunately, due to health concerns, I’ve had to withdraw from the event,” Amit began in a social media statement.
“I was truly looking forward to competing and giving it my all, even with how I’d been feeling. But after careful consideration and on the advice of my doctors, I’ve made the difficult decision to pause and prioritise my recovery. This has been one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in my career – opportunities like this don’t come often.
“As someone who continually advocates for women in sports, it would’ve been a great honour to compete among the world’s best male players and represent women on such a prestigious stage. I’m deeply grateful to Matchroom and the organizers for their invitation, and especially for their understanding.
“This experience has reminded me how essential it is to prioritise health and rest in order to perform at the highest level. I’ll be cheering for all the Filipinos competing at the event, and in the meantime, I’m focused on healing and coming back stronger.”
A total of 17 Filipino players will be in attendance, including the likes of Johann Chua, Carlo Biado, Anton Raga, Jeffrey Ignacio, James Aranas and teenage sensation AJ Manas.
Despite Amit’s unfortunate withdrawal, there will still be female representation in the tournament, with 2023 Women’s World Championship semi-finalist and Women’s World 10-Ball Championship runner-up Seo Seoa of South Korea having received an invitation.
