Sean Lenning will be front and center when the largest purse in handball history is divvied up at this week’s Ultimate Handball Showdown.
The Shorecrest High School graduate set himself up for a plush payday by qualifying for the high-stakes tournament, which opens Thursday and runs through Sunday at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle.
The upstart Professional Handball Association is pulling out all the stops for its first event, including national television coverage, an elite field and a record $135,000 in prize money.
Each of the 16 qualifiers is guaranteed a $2,500 payout. The runner-up receives $25,000 and the winner will walk away with $50,000.
“This is the one I’ve had my sights set on,” said Lenning, who secured an Ultimate Showdown berth at a qualifying tournament in December in Concord, Calif.
As the No. 15 seed, Lenning drew a first-round matchup with second-seeded John Bike, who edged Lenning in a tiebreaker in their only previous meeting.
The winner advances to face either seventh-seeded Tony Healy or 10th-seeded Marcos Chavez in the quarterfinals.
“I’ve been working out a lot and playing everyday,” Lenning said. “I’m running and lifting weights. But I know everybody else has been working just as hard.”
In 2002, Lenning became the youngest player to win a United States Handball Association pro qualifier tournament and the second-youngest to qualify for the pro tour, doing so 11 days before his 17th birthday.
But as of late, Lenning has taken a hiatus from the pro tour and slipped from No. 12 to 19 in the USHA/Simple Green men’s rankings.
Lenning’s best finish at a pro event came at the Seattle Challenge in November 2002 when he bounced back from an opening-round defeat to capture the consolation title.
The Ultimate Showdown won’t include a consolation bracket, but Lenning doesn’t foresee himself making an early exit.
“I’m definitely planning on doing well,” he said. “I want to win a couple rounds.”
Coming in as the hometown favorite and one of the sport’s rising stars, Lenning is looking forward to the chance to go blow-for-blow with pro handball’s heavyweights.
“There’s nowhere to hide in this draw. All the top players will be there,” he said. “But I like my chances. I think I can do well.”
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