Jason Belmonte facts for kids
Belmonte during the 2019 PBA World Championship
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Belmo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 July 1983 Orange, New South Wales, Australia |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2000–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 178 cm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Kimberly Shapter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | PBA, WBT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 1 European Bowling Tour 1 World Tenpin Masters 1 WBT 1 AMF World Cup |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National finals | 32 PBA Tour (15 majors) 7x PBA Player of the Year PBA Super Slam winner |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jason Belmonte (born 29 July 1983) is an Australian professional bowler. He is famous for using a special two-handed style to bowl. This style helped him become one of the best bowlers ever. He plays on the PBA Tour in the United States and in big world events.
Belmonte has won 32 titles on the PBA Tour. This includes a record 15 major championships. He is one of only two bowlers in PBA history to win the "Super Slam." This means he won all five major PBA titles. He has also won the USBC Masters and PBA Tournament of Champions four times each. He is the only bowler to win the PBA Players Championship three times.
Jason Belmonte has been named PBA Player of the Year seven times. This ties the record set by Walter Ray Williams Jr.. He won this award three years in a row from 2013 to 2015. He earned over $2 million in his PBA career. He has also bowled at least 27 perfect 300 games in PBA Tour events. Three of these perfect games were shown live on TV. Many people consider him one of the greatest bowlers of all time.
Belmonte is also well-known for making two-handed bowling popular. He works with bowling companies like Storm, 3G Shoes, and Vise Grips. Storm even has a special line of bowling balls named after him. In 2022, he received an award called the Member of the Order of Australia for his great achievements in bowling.
Contents
Early Life and Bowling Style
Jason Belmonte was born in Orange, New South Wales, Australia. His father, Aldo, owned a bowling alley. Jason started bowling when he was only 18 months old. He was so small that he had to push the ball with both hands. This is how he developed his unique two-handed bowling style.
In his style, he puts only two fingers (no thumb) into the bowling ball. This helps him make the ball spin more. He tried bowling with one hand when he was seven, but he didn't like it.
How He Became a Pro Bowler
When Belmonte first joined the PBA, he focused on bowling with a lot of power. Later, he learned from other pros how to make the ball move better. He changed his style to be more accurate. He slowed down his ball speed and approach. This helped him hit the "pocket" (the best spot to hit pins) more often.
In 2022, his parents' bowling center got a new system. It tracks how the ball moves, its speed, and how much it spins. Belmonte said it was "scarily accurate." As of 2023, he travels with about 15 different bowling balls. Each ball is made differently to help him on various lane conditions.
GQ magazine said in 2023 that Belmonte is a very important person in bowling. Some people even debated his two-handed style. Belmonte has spent six months a year away from his family for bowling. He said it can be lonely, but he feels a lot of love from his family.
Major Wins and Achievements
Belmonte has won many important bowling titles around the world. He won the European Bowling Tour title in Greece. He also won the World Tenpin Masters championship in 2007. In 2010, he won the Korea Cup title.
PBA Tour Success
Jason Belmonte has won 32 titles on the PBA Tour. His first PBA title was in 2009. In 2011, he won three more PBA titles. He also bowled a perfect 300 game on TV in 2012.
In 2013, Belmonte won his first major PBA title at the USBC Masters. He won another major title in 2014 at the Barbasol Tournament of Champions. He became the first bowler to win three USBC Masters tournaments in a row in 2015. He also won his second Tournament of Champions title that year.
By 2017, Belmonte had won nine major titles. This put him second on the all-time list. In 2019, he won the PBA Tournament of Champions again. This tied the record with ten major titles. A month later, he won the 2019 PBA World Championship. This made him the all-time leader with 11 major titles.
In February 2020, Belmonte won the U.S. Open. This made him the second bowler in PBA history to complete the "Super Slam." This means he won all five major PBA titles. He won his third PBA World Championship in a row in March 2020. He also won his 25th PBA Tour title in October 2020.
Belmonte won his sixth PBA Player of the Year award in 2020. He led the tour in earnings and average.
More Recent Wins
In 2022, Belmonte won five titles in one season. This was his best year for wins. He won his 14th major title at the PBA Players Championship. He also bowled another televised 300 game in June 2022. This made him the only player with three televised perfect games. He won his 30th career PBA Tour title that year.
Belmonte won his seventh PBA Player of the Year award in 2022. This tied the record set by Walter Ray Williams Jr..
In 2023, Belmonte won his 15th major championship at the PBA Tournament of Champions. He became the first person to win this event four times. He also won the PBA Super Slam Cup, a special event for major champions. He bowled another televised 300 game in June 2023.
In 2025, Belmonte won his 32nd career PBA Tour title. He won the Roth/Holman PBA Doubles Championship with his partner, Bill O'Neill. He also reached the final match of the PBA World Championship, but he lost to E. J. Tackett. Belmonte has said his goal is to win 20 major titles before he stops playing.
Amateur and International Bowling
When he was 17, Belmonte was the first junior Australian to bowl a perfect 300 game overseas. He won five gold medals at the 2000 Junior National Championships. He also won awards like the Orange Junior Sportsperson of the Year.
In 2002, he won medals at the Commonwealth Championships in Scotland. He also won a silver medal at the World Youth Championships in Thailand. In 2004, he won three gold medals at the Asian Youth FIQ in Hong Kong. He also won two gold medals at the World Youth FIQ titles in Guam. He was named the 2004 Bowler of the Year.
In 2005, Belmonte bowled the first-ever 300 game at the World Tenpin Masters in England. He won the World Tenpin Masters in 2007. He bowled another 300 game in that event's final.
AMF World Cup
Jason Belmonte competed in the AMF World Cup several times. In 2004, he led the qualifying rounds but finished fifth. In 2007, he was the top qualifier again but finished second.
In 2011, Belmonte finally won the AMF Bowling World Cup in South Africa. He became the first Australian man to win this title. He said he was happy to win after leading in previous years but not taking the trophy.
Personal Life
Jason Belmonte is married to Kimberly Shapter, who is a nurse. They have two daughters and two sons. The family lives in Orange, New South Wales, Australia.
Images for kids
-
Belmonte during the 2019 PBA World Championship
