Django Bustamante admits being slowed down by age: ‘Not like the old days anymore’

MANILA, Philippines – Age has gotten the better of Filipino pool legend Francisco “Django” Bustamante. 

Bustamante, 62, admitted that Father Time has caught up with him as he fell to rival Earl Strickland, 11-6, in the final of the WNT Legends exhibition tournament on Friday, January 23, at the Gateway Mall in Quezon City.

“It feels different when you’re getting older. But there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s just how it is. It’s not like the old days anymore,” Bustamante said in Filipino.

“It was really nice because we all got to see each other again, but the not-so-great part was my shotmaking in the finals. It was awful.”

Bustamante, a World Nine-Ball Championship winner and a World Cup of Pool champion with Efren “Bata” Reyes, was so prolific in his heyday that Strickland said it was perhaps only the fifth or sixth time he had beaten the Filipino.

One of Strickland’s most memorable wins over Bustamante came during the final of the 2002 World Nine-Ball Championship, where the American clinched a 17-15 victory.

“[Django is] a phenomenal player, way underrated, but I know how good he is because no one has beaten me the way he has beaten me,” the 64-year-old Strickland said. 

In the WNT Legends title clash, Strickland built an early 4-0 lead before Bustamante fought back by taking five of the next six racks to equalize at 5-5.

However, it was Strickland who dominated in the endgame as he built a commanding 10-6 advantage in the race-to-11 affair.

Bustamante then bungled a shot at the eight ball in the final rack, paving the way for the rare Strickland triumph.

“It seemed like when he would get long and tough, he was in trouble. And it shows,” Strickland said. “It seemed that he couldn’t hit a couple of shots I think he shouldn’t miss, but the nerves play a role.”

Meanwhile, German icon Ralf “The Kaiser” Souquet edged Reyes in the battle for third, 11-9. 

With his back against the wall and a chance to pull level on the hill, Reyes took too much time at the five ball and incurred a foul as Souquet ran out the table to take the victory. – Rappler.com