Norway, represented by Boye Brogeland, Glenn Grotheim, Geir Helgemo, Tor Helnesss, Erik Saelensminde and Ulf Haakon Tundal, has won its first world bridge team championship for the Bermuda Bowl, which ended in Shanghai, China, on Saturday.
At the end of the 128-deal final the Norwegians finished well ahead of USA 1 (334-246) after leading throughout the match.
The Norwegians, who lost to Ireland during the preliminary round-robin, have twice been runners-up (1993 and 2001) and twice in third (1997 and 2003).
In the play-off for the bronze medals, the Netherlands beat South Africa 141-86 over 64 deals.
Following a closely-fought contest for the transnational team title, Pierre Zimmerman, Franck Moulton, Michel Bessis, Thomas Bessis (France) and Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes (Italy) won the title on the last of the 48 deals from the combined Russian/Polish side.
The lead changed after each of the last three deals in the most exciting finish of the championships.
The result of the transnational event raised questions of what might have been for Ireland. In the quarter-final, the Irish, having finished third in the qualifying rounds, had the choice of meeting either Zimmerman or the American team, Gordon, in the contest for a medal. They opted to play against Zimmerman, who beat them and went on to win gold.
Host nation China had to settle for one medal in the championships when its women's team beat France in the play-off for third place in the Venice Cup competition.
World bridge team championships, complete results:
Bermuda Bowl, open championship: 1st Norway, 2nd USA 1, 3rd Netherlands. Venice Cup, women's teams: 1st USA 1, 2nd Germany, 3rd China. Seniors (over-58) Bowl: 1st USA 2, 2nd Indonesia, 3rd USA 1. Transnational teams: 1st France/Italy, 2nd Russia/Poland, 3rd - tie between Germany and USA.
Ireland 1 - John Carroll, Tommy Garvey, Nick FitzGibbon, Adam Mesbur and Tom Hanlon, with David Jackson as non-playing captain - were beaten by the gold medallists in the quarter-final.
Ireland 2 - Paul Delaney, Seán Ó Lubaigh, Terry Walsh and Peter Goodman, with Aoife MacHale as non-playing captain - finished 56th of 148 competing teams.
The next world championships will be in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2009.