29/09/2025
MIKA IMMONEN, who has died aged 52 following a long battle with cancer, was an international trail-blazer for European pool as he established himself as one of the finest players in the world at the tail end of the 1990s and forged a glittering career in the 2000s.
Born on 17 December 1972 in London, Immonen developed as a junior in Finland, playing nationally and in neighbouring Scandinavian countries. Playing overseas in his late teens, Immonen started out as he meant to carry on, winning the inaugural Euro Tour event, the Belgian Open, in early 1992 as a 19-year-old. He added a further two Euro Tour titles as well as four runners-up finishes before shifting his base to the USA.
He was an integral part of the Mosconi Cup story, making his first appearance in 1996 and playing 15 times overall. He lies second in the all-time European list and was part of the winning team on four occasions. The last win came in the 2013 ‘Legends Edition’ when Europe trounced the USA 11-2 at the Mirage in Las Vegas.
Perhaps his finest year in pool’s showcase event came in 2002, when Europe stopped a lengthy run of defeats to finally get into the winners’ circle. Mika’s partnership with Marcus Chamat was to prove crucial to the team’s 12-9 victory. He was also named MVP in 2003 in Las Vegas and 2008 in Malta.
It seemed written in the stars when Immonen won the first of his two WPA World Championships, beating Ralf Souquet 17-10 in July 2001 at the Cardiff International Arena, to take the 9-ball crown. His second world title came in Manila, Philippines eight years later where he beat Lee Vann Corteza 11-6 to lift the World 10-Ball Championship.
The 2000s were peak Mika. He won back-to-back US Open titles in 2008 and 09, becoming only the second player to achieve that feat. Ronnie Alcano (13-7) and Ralf Souquet (13-10) respectively, took a back-seat as Immonen established his greatness.
It was no great surprise when he was named Billiards Digest Player of the Decade in 2010.
In latter times, Immonen was still a name to beat in the draw as he enjoyed travelling the world with little left to achieve in the game.
And then came the shock diagnosis in December 2023. Showing his ingrained fighting spirit, Mika fought it all the way and he will leave a large hole in the sport of pool, and a legion of grieving fans and fellow players across the world.
Marcus Chamat, who followed in Immonen’s wake as one of Europe’s top players said, “I first met him in the USA in the mid-90s, in Los Angeles. I came over to just play few amateur events and Mika already stayed there but lived in New York, but it was like meeting a brother from that first moment and we’ve been friends ever since.
“Mika was amazing player, so aggressive at the table, forcing the matches. You had to beat him or he would just run over you. I mean, all his titles speak for themselves and what he achieved in his career.
“At the Mosconi Cup in 2002, we were the key partnership in that historic win and that experience with Mika gave me so much confidence for the rest of my career. He’d won the World 9-Ball Championship the year before and we became this amazing duo on and off the table. My career would definitely not have been what it was without his inspiration.
“Mika is right up there as an all-time great, that’s for sure. World Champion, US Open Champion, Player of the Decade. This one hurts.”
Tommi Lamminaho, the Finnish Sports Director of the EPBF is a man who has tracked Immonen’s career from its very beginnings; “1996 was my first Nordic Championships as a 15-year-old and the first time I met Mika and we travelled to Copenhagen and it was a big thing. Mika was an established player back then.
“We became team members in Tampere in 2002 for the European Championships and then from there on a lot has happened. I was with him in Manila when he won the World 10-Ball Championship, I was sort of his wingman there. It was good times.
“If I look at the Finnish newspapers today there‘s a lot of coverage of his passing which tells a lot. He was a well-known sports person in Finland, highly respected. For billiards as such he paved the way for younger players showing that from a small country you can bounce high.
“The impact we all saw, the fighting spirit from Mika that went all the way till the end. He never gave up. It was a shock of course, as we were all believing for the best, and it’s just really sad.”
Mika Immonen, 17 December 1972 – 28 September 2025.
