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Mika Immonen

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Mika Immonen
Immonen at the 2008 Mosconi Cup
Personal information
Nickname
"The Iceman"
Born(1972-12-17)17 December 1972
London, England
Died28 September 2025(2025-09-28) (aged 52)
New York City, U.S.
Pool career
Country Finland
Pool games9-Ball, 10-ball, Straight pool
Tournament wins
World Champion9-Ball (2001),
10-Ball (2009)
Highest rank1

Mika Immonen (17 December 1972 – 28 September 2025) was a Finnish professional Hall of Fame pool player, nicknamed "The Iceman."

Biography

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Immonen was born on 17 December 1972 in London, England, where his Finnish parents were living due to his father's work.[1][2] In the early 1980s, the family relocated to Finland.[2] He began playing snooker at an early age and was known to have made several century breaks, before becoming a pool player in the early 90s.[3] In 2000, Immonen moved to New York City, United States.[4]

Immonen won the 2001 WPA World Nine-ball Championship in Cardiff, Wales.[1] That same year, he was the runner-up to Corey Deuel in the US Open Nine-ball Championship.

In 2002 he won the UPA International Ten-ball Championship.

He has represented Team Europe on fifteen occasions in the Mosconi Cup, most recently in 2013. During the 2008 event Immonen was crowned MVP, forever banishing bad memories of a costly miss in the final game of the 2006 event.

In early 2009, Immonen was awarded the title of Player of the Year. Subsequently, he also claimed that title for season 2009 and was awarded early 2010.

Immonen was a two-time Men's Division title-holder of the US Open Nine-ball Championship, where the world's top professional billiard players compete in Chesapeake, Virginia. In 2009 Immonen won 14 straight matches, finishing with a close 13–10 victory over Ralf Souquet in the finals. On 26 October 2008, Immonen claimed a 13–7 victory and pocketed the first-place prize of US$40,000 against runner-up Filipino Ronato Alcano, who settled for $20,000.[5][6][7]

Immonen made it to the finals of the 2009 Dragon 14.1 Tournament, where he was defeated in the finals by Stephan Cohen of France.[8] Also in 2009, Immonen bested Darren Appleton to win the International Challenge of Champions, a tournament where he once reached the finals in 2002 but lost the sudden-death rack to Efren Reyes.

In late November 2009 Immonen finally won his second World Title in Manila at the WPA World Ten-ball Championships. He dominated the Philippine hope Lee Vann Corteza in the finals 11–6.

Billiard Congress of American Hall of Fame class of 2014, aged 41.

In September 2016, in New York, he won the Dragon 14.1 Tournament, defeating Earl Strickland 300–270 in the finals.

Immonen died from cancer at a hospital in Manhattan, New York, on 28 September 2025, at the age of 52.[1] He suffered from adenocarcinoma and had been diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer in December 2023.[9]

Career titles

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Instructional releases

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In late 2008 Mika teamed up with Intrinsic Media to produce Mastering Pool,[10] a three-part pocket billiard instructional series. The DVD series is packed with tips, techniques, systems, 3D animated diagrams, and expert commentary by Immonen himself.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Padnani, Amisha (29 September 2025). "Mika Immonen, Champion Pool Player Known as the Iceman, Dies at 52". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b Husu, Atte (28 March 2025). "Biljardilegenda Mika Immonen, 52, kertoo suuresta surustaan – huippulahjakas kaksoisveli Kari menehtyi äkillisesti" [Billiards legend Mika Immonen, 52, speaks about his great sorrow – his highly talented twin brother Kari passed away suddenly]. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  3. ^ "Mika Immonen biography". Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  4. ^ Raunio, Antti (9 June 2023). "Tampereelle tullut mies päätyi saunaan Kimi Räikkösen ja Teemu Selänteen kanssa – Yksi lause Filippiineillä paljastaa, millainen megatähti Mika Immonen on" [A man who came to Tampere ended up in a sauna with Kimi Räikkönen and Teemu Selänne – One sentence in the Philippines reveals what kind of megastar Mika Immonen is]. Aamulehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 September 2025. Immonen muutti Yhdysvaltoihin New Yorkiin vuonna 2000. [Immonen moved to New York, United States, in 2000.]
  5. ^ "insidepoolmag.com, Immonen is New U.S. Open 9-Ball Champion". Archived from the original on 26 October 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  6. ^ "gmanews.tv/story, RP's Alcano loses to Finn Immonen in US Open 9-ball final". Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  7. ^ "billiardsdigest.com, Big Win for Finn: Immonen Clobbers Alcano to Break U.S. Open 'Curse'". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  8. ^ AzB Staff (30 August 2009). "Cohen wins Predator 14.1 Championship". AzBilliards.com. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  9. ^ "Kuolleet | Biljardin maailmanmestari Mika Immonen on kuollut". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 29 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  10. ^ "mastering-pool.com, Mastering Pool Instructional DVD Series". Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Immonen's Secrets Revealed in Mastering Pool Instructional DVDs". Azbilliards. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
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